Miracle Romance
by Bitter Ambrosia
Summary: Many generations later, Sailor Moon is in great danger. Chaos has risen again. Will she find her team and defeat it in time? At long last, it's finished! I had to switch computers, and thus it took a while to get the Epilogue up. Well, this is the end of this story. But the next one is on its way! Keep a look out, and I think that you'll find it much to your liking. :)
1. Information

Sailor Moon, many generations later. What if Chaos was back, and this time targeted Sailor Moon herself? Chaos has brought the Senshi from the past to this present, and has twisted them to its own ends. Sailor Moon needs to gather her own Senshi team in order to defeat Chaos, but can she do it in time to save the world?


	2. Chapter 1

"Alright class, today we are staring on a group project," the teacher announced to a chorus of groans from the class. Usagi scowled over her book at the teacher. Really? A school project? She sighed and hit her forehead against the desk, then winced. She'd forgotten that there were splinters there. Rubbing her forehead as she looked back up, she realized that the teacher had asked her something.

"Usagi, do you have a partner for the project?" the teacher asked. They had been given the past few minutes to choose a partner. Shaking her head, feeling a bit wary, Usagi said no. The teacher sighed and looked around. "There, Hana doesn't have a partner. You two are partners now. Scoot." Usagi sighed and slowly stood up, walkng over to Hana's desk.

"Hi... I'm Usagi... What do you wanna do for the project?" she asked, her tone subdued.

Hana was a very quiet girl who seemed shy of just about everyone. In the entire time they had been in class together she'd said maybe three words to Usagi that hadn't been in response to a greeting directed to her or the class as a whole. She blushed looking down. "U-um... well... since we have to report on a countries culture... maybe... um... America... or something?" she got quieter and quieter as she spoke, barely whispering by the time she said 'or something'. "S-sorry you got stuck with me..."

Sensing that Hana seemed to be upset by what Usagi had said, Usagi immediately knelt by her.

"Oh dear, honey, I'm not mad at you..." she said softly. "I'm just stressed. My parents said that they had had something important to tell me, and now they're missing." Sighing again, she nodded. "And I like your idea of America. Crystal Tokyo might be the center of all things, but America was important once, a long time ago."

Hana looked worried. "Your parents are missing? That's terrible. We- I'll help as much as I can with the project- one less thing for you to stress about," she told her. Then with a very small shy smile she added. "I use to live in America so I know a lot first hand from that." She reached up and gently twirled a bit of her curly fushia hair.

Usagi now showed the first interest she'd shown all day. Sitting beside Hana, she took the other girl's hands in her own.

"You used to live in America? Tell me what it was like!" she exclaimed. "I've lived in Crystal Tokyo all my life! Something about my own safety or something like that. I can never remember. But anyways. Was it cool? Amazing?" She chattered on, excited about making a friend.

It took a while but by the end of class Hana had started talking more freely. She also started to use more expressions. Hana even got Usagi to laugh at her disbelief at an American custom. "No, it's true! They really do that. It took me forever to get used to it when I first moved there." She'd revealed that while she'd been born in Crystal Tokyo, her family had moved to California when she was 5. She'd only moved back to Crystal Tokyo last year. The bell rang and she jumped slightly. "Class is over already?" she asked, bewildered.

"That's okay, it's lunchtime, so we can still talk," Usagi said happily. She stood and took Hana's hand, starting towards the courtyard where she usually ate lunch. Waiting for her was a little black cat, a gold moon on the cat's forehead. "Luna! What are you doing here?" she asked indignantly. "I thought I told you to keep a lookout for Mom and Dad."

There were a few cats around the city that had those marks. They were considered very important for some reason. Hana knelt down. "Is this your kitty?" she asked, offering her hand to Luna.

"Yes, Luna is mine." Usagi smiled as Luna purred and rubbed up against Hana. "She seems to like you alot," she added. "I'm glad. Usually Luna chases away people who are false. You are genuine!" She grinned and gave Hana a hug. "I'm so glad that we're friends."

Hana looked like she might start to cry. "You- you want to be friends with me?" she managed to choke out. People didn't tend to take to her so quickly. She didn't really have many friends. People usually gave up on being friends with her because she didn't talk much.

"Sure! Why not? I like you, and you're really the first person I've ever been able to get along so well with," Usagi said with a smile. She let go of Hana and pulled out her lunch, then sat. Luna jumped into her lap and curled up, and Usagi patted the ground beside her, indicating that Hana should sit down.

Hana flopped down beside her, staring in wide eyed wonder. She had a friend...

After a minute it finally sunk fully in and she smiled with a shy delight, pulling out her own lunch. They chatted pretty much the whole time, comparing likes and dislikes.

The rest of the day passed pretty quickly as they found out that they were together in each of their classes. At the end of the day though, they parted ways, and Usagi made her way home to her quiet house. Sighing as she closed the door behind her, she wondered once again what had happened to her parents. Luna meowed from her bedroom doorway and Usagi slipped off her shoes, making her way to her room. Reaching down to scratch Luna lightly behind her ears, Usagi sighed again and flopped onto her bed. Falling asleep instantly, she began to have nightmares.

Hana lived with her mother and little brother. So when she got home she made dinner, since her mother worked late at the hospital, it was up to her to take care of her brother until their mom got home.

Somehow, Usagi had gotten comfortably underneath the covers at some point in the night. In the middle of the night, she sat up and opened her eyes. They were glowing slightly, and she turned to Luna. Luna meowed, not sure if Usagi was quite awake or not. A silver crescent moon symbol began to glow on her forehead, but as it faded, her eyes closed, and she crumpled back against her bed, fast asleep once again. Or so Luna thought.

The next morning, Usagi couldn't be woken, and thus, she was not at school. Something had happened in the night, and it hadn't been good. Luna found herself racing to the school, trying to find Hana amongst all the girls. She knew that the girl was a Senshi, though which one, she didn't know yet. She already knew that Usagi was Sailor Moon, but since Usagi was out for the count at the moment, Sailor Moon wouldn't be able to be woken first.

Hana saw Luna before Luna saw her. "Hey Luna. Where's your Mistress huh? She's not at school today," she told the cat quietly, reaching down to pet her. She'd been disappointed she didn't ask for her number yesterday.

Instead of purring like she had the day before, Luna sat down, curling her tail about her feet.

"Hana, this is important. I must ask that you don't scream or call attention to us, do you understand?" the cat asked, looking intently into Hana's eyes.

Hana paled and stared at the cat. "D-did you just talk?" she squeaked.

Luna sighed and then nodded.

"I did. Listen Hana, this is important, can you calm down?" she asked. "Usagi is... I don't know. I can't wake her up. I don't know why. Hana, I need to awaken you as a Senshi. Please. I need your help."

Hearing that Usagi wasn't waking up got a worried look to cross her face, but then it became confused. "As a what? What are you talking about?" she asked, glancing around. Thankfully most everyone was ignoring her as usual. So no rumors of how she talks to cat were likely to start.

Sighing, Luna just closed her eyes and raised her head. The crescent on her head began to glow as she opened her eyes, and a beam of light shot from the moon on her forehead to hit Hana's forehead. Seconds later, Jupiter's symbol shone there, and Luna was talking in Hana's mind.

"A Senshi is a soldier that protects peace, love, and justice in the Earth Kingdom and the Moon Kingdom. You are a daughter of the Moon Kingdom, sent down to Earth to live a normal life until the time comes that you are needed. You are needed Sailor Jupiter. Usagi needs your help. I think something terrible happened last night, and you are the first of the Senshi that I need to awaken. Please Hana." Luna's mental tone shivered with the plea of help that she was issuing. "Please help me to save Usagi. She is more important than you can imagine."

"W-well if it will help Usagi-chan... I'll do what I can," she answered, sounding unsure. "What do I need to do to help?"

"First, reach into your pocket. There should be a transforming pen there now that I've awoken your power," Luna said, this time, speaking aloud. "Once you have, hold it up and say 'Jupiter Power Make Up!'"

"Eh? R-right here?" She looked around. She'd be taken as a psycho if she did that... But she reached into her pocket, and sure enough, there was a weird pen there. She stood up and ran. Despite her timid personality she was athletic. She found an empty storage room and slipped inside, shutting the door once Luna was in. "Like this?" she asked, holding up the pen. "Jupiter Power Make Up!"

Luna started purring as she watched the girl transform. Sailor Jupiter, here!

"Perfect," Luna said happily, rubbing up against Jupiter's boots. "Now, follow me to Usagi's house."

Hana- or rather Sailor Jupiter looked down at her attire in stunned awe. Something had really happened. Something had really happened? How- 'No time to think about this now Hana! You have to go help your friend!' She slapped her own cheeks and then nodded. "Right. Lead the way Luna," she told the cat- though suddenly wasn't sure she'd be able to. Was she going to have to run through the city looking like this? "Maybe.. an unpopulated route?"

Luna nodded.

"Of course dear." Jumping and opening the door, Luna lead the way to Usagi's house through back alleys, tugging Jupiter out into the street when there were no alleys to take. Opening the door to Usagi's house, Luna lead Jupiter inside. "All you need to do is put a hand on her forehead and give her a tiny bit of your power," Luna said after leading her to Usagi's room. Usagi was sitting up, her eyes open and glowing, staring at the wall. Luna meowed plaintively, going to Usagi and pushing her down, frantically making sure that the silver crescent moon symbol wasn't showing. "Please hurry Jupiter!"

"I- How do I give her my power?" she asked, resting a hand on her friends forehead. 'Usagi is going to think I'm crazy when she wakes up. IF she wakes up...'

A small glow surrounded Jupiter's hand as she put it on Usagi's head. A warm sensation filled the two of them, and Usagi suddenly woke, gasping. She looked at Hana, bewildered and confused.

"Usagi-chan!" Hana exclaimed hugging her friend. "I'm so glad! Luna came and found me! She-" she halted. Did... did Usagi-chan know that Luna talked? Or was that just Hana that could hear it?

"Luna! You actually talked to Hana too? I'm jealous. She gets a cool new outfit and everything..." Usagi pouted, and Luna sighed, shaking her head. Jumping up into the air and doing a little somersault, she made a broach appear, circular and pink, and to fall onto the bed.

"Say Moon Prism Power Make Up!" Luna said. Usagi nodded and picked up the broach, holding it above her head and shouting the words. She transformed and stood there, looking at herself, slightly shocked. Her heart-shaped buns had ruby orbs on them, and she was dressed in a similar looking outfit to Jupiter, only hers was colored differently. "You are Sailor Moon, leader of a team of Senshi that protect justice, love, and peace. We need to find the others, and to figure out what is going on. Something wrong happened last night to make you unable to be woken this morning. I have a feeling that it has something to do with your parents going missing as well." Usagi nodded. "But for now, we need to get you guys to school."

"School!" Usagi gasped, starting to run around her room as her transformation came undone. She gathered all her books and got into her uniform quickly, then turned to Hana. "Come on Hana, let's go!"

Hana stared at her friend, trying to put a puzzle together. She accepted it all so easily. She didn't question a thing about it. Was it because she had faith in Luna's words? Or was it just that overflowing well of confidence she seemed to have? Hana's own transformation came undone and she nodded mutely, trying to make her own mind accept what was being told to her, trying to follow the example of her friend.

Usagi dashed out the front door of her house, not even stopping to lock it. Luna locked it after they had left, and then followed them to the school to keep an eye on them. Usagi and Hana both got detention for being so late, but it was something that kept them just about an hour longer and an hour safer.

Hana dreaded having to tell her mother she had gotten detention. She'd just have to hope her mother understood she'd gone to help a friend. Though how to explain why Usagi-chan had needed help without sounding like a maniac was beyond her.

"Hey, Usagi-chan. How can you accept all of this so easily? Doesn't it seem... I don't know... strange to you?" she asked quietly while they sat in detention. They'd explained that they had a project to do together anyway and so the teacher was letting them sit together and talk- quietly.

Usagi shrugged.

"Luna's always told me stories about the Sailor Senshi, and how she's always been there to find Sailor Moon and the others when they were needed most. I never thought anything of it, since she's talked for as long as I can remember, but I never expected to be the legendary Sailor Moon herself!" Usagi smiled, giving Hana a hug before taking out her notebook and looking over the notes that she had already taken for their project. "I know that it'll take some getting used to, but we can work together on that too."

'Hearing about it all your life probably helps with acceptance.' Hana thought, getting back to the project.

After detention she walked a ways with Usagi. "How do we find the other scouts. Will Luna know them when she sees them like she did me?" she asked, speaking softly so others wouldn't overhear.

"Luna always feels a slight connection with the others, like she did with you. But I'm not entirely sure how that works, so I suppose that we will have to rely on her in that respect." Usagi got worried. "I don't like having to pin her with that much work though..."

"It's not that bad you know," Luna said haughtily from above them. She'd been perched on the wall, waiting for them. "Artemis is bound to have found Venus by now, I'm sure of it. He always seems to run into her first."

"Venus?" Hana thought for a moment. 'She's Moon, I'm Jupiter... and there's a Venus as well... "Is there a senshi for every planet?" she asked. Though the moon was hardly a planet...

Luna nodded, sitting and curling her tail about her paws, raising one and licking it.

"Yes, there is. In the past, the Earth Senshi has often been male, and so not really a Senshi at all. The moon has a Senshi as well, because, while not a planet, the Moon is, in its own right, a kingdom. And like I said, in the past, the Earth Senshi has been male, and he has had other duties. The Moon Senshi was always a female, and thus able to protect both the Earth and the Moon." Usagi had gone all sparkly, like in shoujo mangas.

"It all sounds so romantic..." she said wistfully, hands clasped together and held just underneath her chin.

Hana was struggling not to giggle at the picture her friend made. "I see. So the Senshi of Earth doesn't really exist- since it's a man. Which means we're looking for seven other Senshi. And they could be anyone, anywhere. All we know for sure is that they are female. Who is Artemis?"

"Yes," Luna said, agreeing with Hana. "As far as Earth goes, we won't know until that person shows up whether it is a male or female. The outer Senshi usually show up on their own as well. We just have to find the inner Senshi." Smiling, Luna jumped down onto Usagi's shoulders, startling her out of her sparkly mode. "And Artemis is my husband. A white cat. He can talk and everything, just like me." Sighing, Luna got a tad bit sad. "It's been a while since I've seen him. And my daughter, Diana, is guarding the Gates of Time. Somehow, Pluto has gone missing..."

'A cat... who has a husband... well she can talk so I suppose in a weird way that makes since.' Hana thought. "Pluto... guards the Gates of Time then I take it? With your daughter?" she asked, trying to make sense of it all.

"Pluto is the Senshi guardian of time. I don't know where she's at, and Diana has had to take over completely for her. Usually it's only for like, a shift or something. But she's missing." Luna frowned. "I have a feeling that it has something to do with what's going on and why I've had to awaken you two." Looking around, Luna sighed, her ears and tail drooping. Usagi sympathetically scratched behind her ears. "I think that everything that's going on has to do with something going wrong in the past..."

"Now that is a scary thought. If the past is altered than so is the future," Hana pointed out. "How do we find out what is going on?"

Luna laughed nervously, pawing at her ear.

"I don't really know. I'm working on it though," she said.

Hana said her farewells to her friends, getting Usagi's cell number this time around, before she headed home herself to take on the task of taking care of her brother.

Usagi gave Hana a hug before leaving, and then headed to Juban Cafe. She ordered a drink, then sat in the booth in the corner, looking at Luna.

"Made any headway on who's taken my parents?" she asked quietly. Luna shook her head.

"No, I'm sorry Usagi-chan..." she said, just as softly.

Hana was working on her homework at her desk that night when she shot up with a gasp, hearing the sound of screams. She rushed to her brother's room first. It hadn't sounded like her brother- but she wanted to be sure. Kyo had always been a sound sleeper, and this was no exception. There he lay- sprawled out on his bed dead sleep.

She heard the scream again and rushed down the stairs and out the door to the street.

A woman dressed in a black, red, and blue Senshi fuku, with blond-black hair looked up, her dark blue eyes holding a darkness that was worse than the darkness of the night. She held what looked like a heart crystal in her hand, and tears streaked down her pale face. A mixture of anger, desperation, and helplessness surrounded her as she held the heart crystal. Luna raced up with Sailor Moon just then, and she stopped short.

"No... Usagi-chan...?" she whispered, dismayed beyond belief.

"What?" Sailor Moon asked, puzzled.

Hana looked between the two Senshi. They did look... similar somehow... same basic coloring of their uniforms, nearly the same hair styles. And there was a moon on the dark one's forehead. A dark, upside down moon. "Luna, who is she? Why does she look so similar to Usagi-chan?" she asked, pulling out her own pen. Thank heavens she'd thought to keep it on her at all times. She didn't call on the power just yet though- not sure if they'd have to fight this girl or not.

Luna shook her head.

"I will tell you later," she whispered, still mortified that THIS was what was wrong. If the original Usagi was here, then the rest of them would be as well! At that moment, the woman launched herself at them, and Sailor Moon jumped in the way, holding the older woman back for just a few seconds before both tumbled to the ground. The heart crystal went flying, and Luna leaped to catch it before it shattered against the ground. She caught it and tumbled closer to the girl that the crystal had been taken from. Luna recognized the girl as someone from Usagi's school. The heart crystal went back as she let go of it, and the girl sat up. Her blond hair had fallen out of its strange hairstyle, and Luna knew instantly that she was one of them, one of the Senshi. But before Luna could say anything, the girl ran away, casting a fearful look behind her.


	3. Chapter 2

Well it seemed she needed to be Sailor Jupiter now. Hana held up the pen. "Jupiter Power Make up!" she cried. Once she was Sailor Jupiter she rushed in to help Usagi. "Usagi-chan. What can we do? if we're defenders of justice or whatever we should have some way of fighting. Do you know what it is?"

Sailor Moon shoved the woman away, then stood with Jupiter's help. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and took her tiara from her head.

"Moon Tiara Boomerang!" She threw what looked like a spinning disc of light, and it nearly made contact with the woman on the ground. But, in the last instant, the woman knocked it away. She glared at Sailor Moon and then launched herself at the two again, knocking Sailor Moon back once again.

Jupiter was about to try it herself but stopped. Something was telling her that wasn't how her own attack worked. She jumped out of the way, doing a back hand spring to clear more distance. 'No... no my attack is different,' she thought and raised hands, to either side of her head, arms crossed. An antenna rose from her own tiara. Her shoulder-length fuchsia hair flowed in the breeze caused by the attack. "Supreme Thunder!" she called, lighting starting to dance around her before shoot out at Dark Moon.

The woman got thrown back, and she hit the side of the wall with a thud. After a few tense moments, she stood, and glaring at the two Senshi, she disappeared into the night. Sailor Moon let her transformation come undone, and turned to Luna.

"So who was she? You seemed to recognize her."

Hana also let her transformation come undone. "Yeah, and what was that she'd taken from the girl?" she asked. She'd recognized her from school. Hard not to really. Her hair style was more unique than Usagi-chan's.

Usagi frowned as Luna took a shaky breath.

"That was the original Usagi-chan. She is supposed to be your great-great-great grandmother. Long dead, even with the longevity of the... Well, she shouldn't be here at least, and definitely not looking like that. She's sixteen in that form... And unbelievably twisted. I don't know what has happened to her..." Luna said, her last words ending in a plaintive meow. It was obvious that the encounter with the dark woman had shaken her. Usagi looked at Hana, worried.

"If she's from the past, and she's here, what will that do to me?" she asked. She tugged nervously on one of her white-blue pigtails.

"I don't know," Luna said after a short moment. "And if she's here, then the rest of the Senshi must be here as well. So even you, Hana, might have problems in the future as well..." Usagi looked worried as she looked from Luna to Hana again.

"This is not good..."

"Doesn't that mean the same for the other Senshi that we haven't met yet?" Hana asked. She glanced at her house. She couldn't let anything she did endanger her family. But she knew she couldn't just let things go as they were now.

"Yes, it does," Luna said with a sigh. "I'm worried that at some point, if this goes on too long, you might cease to exist. I don't know. There are many generations in between you and your grandmothers, but in some cases, that probably doesn't mean a whole lot..."

"Pluto... you said Sailor Pluto watching the gates of time and she disappeared!" Hana had something going through her head. "Was that the original Pluto or Pluto or a new Pluto. Like she's a new Moon and I'm a new Jupiter?"

"Original Pluto. Since she's disappeared, a new Pluto will be found. But... If that happens, the new Pluto will have to fight with us." Luna sighed and shook her head. "This is going to be a very difficult time for you girls..." Usagi looked absolutely terrorized now. "Oh, I'm sorry Usagi-chan..." Luna whispered, jumping up on her shoulders and rubbing her face against Usagi's cheek.

And that seemed as good a cue as any for Hana to take her leave. "Well. If we've got so much fighting ahead of us I suppose I should get some sleep then shouldn't I? Good night Usagi-chan. Please be careful on your way home."

Usagi nodded and gave Hana a hug before walking away, back towards her house. She shivered as she passed the dark alleyways, and Luna sighed.

"I'm sorry Usagi..." she said softly, and Usagi shook her head.

"It's not your fault Luna," she sighed. "I'm just scared of what might happen to my friends and the friends I haven't met yet..."

The next morning, Usagi woke early and got to school early. She looked like she hadn't slept well, having suffered from nightmares most of the night.

Hana hadn't managed to get much sleep herself, but that was because she couldn't stop thinking about what had happened in her very hectic and event filled day. "Morning Usagi-chan." she greeted tiredly, then groaned. "I forgot about the math test..."

"There's a math test?" Usagi asked, frantically pulling out her math notes. "I completely spaced on that!" She let her forehead hit the desk after a few seconds though, and looked at Hana. "Did anything that was said last night just give you the shivers?" she asked quietly.

Hana nodded. "I could barely sleep just thinking about it," she confided. "What do you think is going to happen? I mean... what are we going to do it we pretty much have to fight ourselves. They'll have the same power as us." She thought a moment. "Maybe even better than us."

"Yeah... Dark Moon just batted away my tiara!" Usagi sounded just a tad terrified. "We need to find the rest of the Senshi fast!" The teacher slammed a book down on his desk, glaring at the two. Usagi shrank down in her chair, looking sheepish. "Sorry Sensei..." she whispered. Nodding, the teacher turned back to taking attendance.

Hana turned red also, shrinking down with a murmured apology of her own. She glanced at Usagi and gave her a small smile that didn't seem very happy. She was right. They really did need to find the others and fast.

Usagi gave kind of a bitter smile back, and then started to work on the test that the teacher was handing out.

Later on at lunch, Usagi picked at her food, not feeling really hungry at all.

"This is kinda scary. I heard stories from Luna about the old Sailor Moons... And they seemed to face things much different and far less scary than this..." Sighing, she looked at Hana. "Let's meet up after school in our Senshi fuku, and start looking for the next Senshi. Is that okay?" she asked.

Hana hesitated. "I... I'd have to call in a favor but it should be alright. I have a... an acquaintance that can look after Kyo for me," she told her. "Will being in our Senshi fuku help us find the others?"

"Well, I sensed your power easier when I was made up," Usagi admitted sheepishly. "Luna told me this morning that I should be able to sense the others, but for some reason, I can barely even sense you..."

"Well... you are still knew at this. Maybe you'll get better as time goes." Hana didn't want to think about the alternative that had popped into her head. She couldn't sense them well because they were close to not existing anymore.

Usagi nodded.

"I think that's it. There's something that Luna isn't telling us, I know it. But I'm sure she has her reasons," she added hastily. "I love Luna. I know that she would tell us if it was super important..."

"Well... I know that sometimes my Mom won't tell me something super important because she's trying to protect me," Hana pointed out. "I don't mean that we should doubt Luna or anything," she added hastily. "Just that we should be aware that what she's hiding from us could be important."

"That's true..." Usagi said with a huff. Sighing, she went back to picking at her food. "If that's the case, she'll tell us when the time is right."

'Let's hope,' Hana thought silently but nodded her agreement anyway. After school she used her cell to make the call that she needed to make to have brother looked after. "Kay. Let's start looking then Usagi-chan."

Usagi nodded and went with Hana into a nearby shed.

"Moon Prism Power, Make Up!" she said, holding her pink broach aloft. Soon, she was transformed into Sailor Moon. She smiled at Hana and turned to look at the door. "Hurry," she whispered. "I can sense someone close by..."

Hana did so, holding up her pen. "Jupiter Power Make up!" Once she was in her Jupiter Senshi fuku she hurried after Sailor Moon. "That was quick! You think maybe they go to school with us then?"

"It's quite possible," Sailor Moon said, smiling at Jupiter. "If so, then lucky us! I just need to work on sensing people, and then, we won't need to worry so much about trying to figure out meetings to talk over tactics later on. We could just meet at lunchtime." Concentrating now, she stopped talking, and stopped at in intersection of the hallway. "This way," she said, pointing and turning right. Running down the hallway, she nearly ran into a girl with orange-red hair done up in braids. "Ah! You!" she gasped, her senses going haywire. The girl gasped, backing up a little, tossing her reddish braids out of her face as she did.

"I had a feeling that you were coming. But I didn't do anything wrong!" she said in a sort of scared way. Sailor Moon shook her head, holding a hand up.

"I'm here because you have a power that could be contributed to our cause. I think that you are a Senshi. Put a hand in your pocket and see if there is a pen there," she said. Rin did so, and gasped when she felt the pen there. She pulled it out, and looked at it: red with the symbol of Mars embossed on the lid.

"Mars Power, Make Up!" she shouted, as if the words had been in her mind all along. Sailor Moon clapped her hands happily. But the happiness of finding a new Senshi was cut short by screams coming from outside the school.

Hana sighed, relieved and disappointed. Relieved they'd managed to find another Senshi, but disappointed that this one also took to the whole thing so much quicker than her. She'd thought herself an open-minded sort of person- obviously she'd been very wrong about that. "You're Rin, class D right?" she asked, feeling horribly shy. She bowed slightly. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Sailor Jupiter, Hana of class C."

"Usagi, also class C, and Sailor Moon," she said, bowing to Mars as well. "What did you mean that you had a feeling that we were coming?" Mars tilted her head to the side and smiled a bit.

"I can see things in the fire at the shrine. I knew that you were coming. But still. Listen," she said. Sailor Moon nodded.

"We need to get outside."

The hair on the back of Hana's neck rose. "Look out!" she cried, shoving both of the other girls as lighting stuck down where they had been standing, zapping her hands instead and sending her flying back from the shock impact.

"Well now, that was impressive," came a dark chuckle from behind them. "I'm surprised you sensed that coming, weak as you are." It was a bit like Dark Moon- only she didn't look as much like Hana as Usagi had to Dark Moon. But still- the outfit was like a dark reflection of Jupiter's own. She sent another bolt of thunder out at them, aiming again for Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars.

"Stop!" Mars shouted, holding up a warding spell, and the electricity was blasted to the side. Sailor Moon stood tall beside her, her tiara blazing in her hand. "Fire Soul!" Mars shouted, at the exact same time Moon shouted, "Moon Tiara Action!" The attacks combined to be even more effective, hurtling straight towards Dark Jupiter.

Dark Jupiter sent another attack of thunder out- which kept their attack from hitting her, but the backlash from it still send her to the ground hard on her back. She clicked her tongue, springing back to her feet. "Tch. Damn rats, getting in the way." she muttered. She took a deep breath. "Dark petal hurricane!" she shouted. A whirl of dark green shot from her, wide and powerful, and barreled down on the scouts. Jupiter was already injured from getting the others out of the way of the lighting, so she had no chance of dodging such a thing, let alone deflecting it.

"Mars, move!" Moon shouted, and pushed her out of the way. The attack hit her full on, and she flew back, her uniform ripped and steaming from the effects of it. "Oh..." she groaned. Mars raced towards Dark Jupiter and launched herself at her, latching onto her back and wrapping her arms tightly around her neck.

"Dumb bitch, attacking people like that!" she hissed in Dark Jupiter's ears.

"Same goes for you," Dark Jupiter grunted. Even twisted as she was, her skill as a fighter was the same. she slammed her elbow into Mars' gut and then grabbed her hair tossing her over her shoulder and into a wall. "You don't stand a chance against me," she told the girl, walking towards her, electricity shooting between her fingers. She jumped back however when an arrow stabbed into the ground right before her feet.

"Not another step!" a man called down to her. He stood atop a nearby building. He wore a black vest with his shoulders bare, tall fingerless white gloves were on his hands with a black arm guard on his right arm- marking him as left handed. His pants wear black with knee high bluckled boots that obviously gave good traction. On his back was a quiver full of arrows, and his waist a dagger. His skin was tan, his hair was messy and reddish brown. The color of his eyes was impossible to tell as he wore a white mask over his eyes. "Now be a good girl and run along or the next one goes through your heart." he told her.

Dark Jupiter glared up at him hatefully and in a gust of wind and light disappeared.

Sure she was gone now, the mysterious man hooked his bow to his quiver and jumped down from the roof, pulling some sort of hook from a pouch behind his back. Using the hook, he caught the lip of a window sill and with an elegant flip landed lightly on the ground. He looked at the three scouts. "Looks like I got her before anyone got killed. That's a relief," he commented, going to first Sailor Moon as she seemed to have taken the most damage of the three.

"Ow..." Sailor Moon groaned as she was helped up. She shook her head, trying to get her vision to focus. When she realized who it was, which was some hot hunk of a guy, she paused. "Oh.. Um... Who are you?" she asked softly, obviously awestruck. Mars giggled slightly as she moved over to help Jupiter up.

"Looks like Usagi has a crush at first sight going on there," she said softly.

"Moonlit Archer," he told her, running a hand lightly against her head, her vision clearing as he did so. "Seems you managed to get lucky avoiding that attack. I know you girls are new at this but you're going to get yourselves killed if you don't figure out how to watch each other's backs without getting yourself hit," he told her, his hand now hovering over her back where she'd taken the impact. He then moved over to Sailor Jupiter.

Jupiter gave a weak giggle. "So it would seem," she agreed. When he came over to them and got a good look at him- she could see why. He was gorgeous.

Light healings done he nodded to the girls he turned into a narrow alley and actually jumped rather quickly back up to the roof by jumping between the walls.

Sailor Moon nodded, rather awestruck and kind of shocked that she suddenly felt better.

"You know, he was kind of right," she said after a few moments. "We do sorta need to make sure that we get out of the way, even when helping out each other." She bowed and folded her hands above her head. "Please don't hate me!"

Hana stared at her looking a bit dumbfounded. "Why would I hate you?" she asked, confused.

"Just agreeing with someone that randomly showed up and helped us," Usagi said as her transformation came undone. Rin giggled.

"No, I agree too," she added after composing herself. "If we get ourselves hurt while watching out for each other, we're pretty useless, right? So we just need to practice a bit." Usagi nodded enthusiastically, then jumped as Luna rubbed up against her.

"Oh! Luna! You startled me," she said with a small laugh. Picking Luna up, she introduced her to Rin, who curtsied. Luna blushed a little.

"You don't have to curtsy to me," she said with a laugh. Rin smiled and so did Usagi.

"This is Sailor Mars," Usagi said. Luna nodded.

"I can feel the fire of her power," she said. "You were able to sense her?" Usagi nodded and grinned, feeling proud.

"Yes indeed."

Hana greeted Luna quietly as her transformation came undone as well. "Are we done looking for scouts today? Cuz... I really do need to get my brother."

Usagi nodded.

"Hey, I can come over and watch him with you tomorrow if you want," she said with a grin.

"Me too! I love little kids!" Rin said excitedly. Luna meowed and laughed a little.

"Of course, I'll come by as well."

"Eh? R-really?" she looked between the two- well three really- and then beamed brighter than Usagi had ever seen her. "Thank you! That would be such a help! Especially tomorrow!" she bowed to them repeatedly. "He's having a party tomorrow with some friends- and they are all under seven- so it's really hard for me to keep track of all of them by myself." she explained.

Usagi beamed.

"No probs," she said. "It'll be fun!" Rin nodded enthusiastically.

"I'll bring good luck charms for some party favors!" she added.

Hana tilted her head. "Good luck charms?" she asked. "Oh! Your family runs a shrine don't they?"

"Yup!" Rin said proudly. "I'm a shrine maiden part time, and I can get away with bringing stuff for the little children. Plus, they'll like em!" She grinned, then kissed each of the girls on the cheek. "Ciao! I gotta go. Work starts in a few, and I gotta get into my uniform and everything!" She smiled and then took off running, going towards the shrine that she worked at with her family. Usagi grinned and looked at Hana.

"This will be so much fun! Do you have anything planned as far as the party goes?" she asked. "Or was that your brother's job?"

She chuckled softly. "It's my job to monitor his plan and make sure it's not something impossible. Last year he planned to go on a rocket with his friends. Took forever to convince him that we couldn't make that one happen."

"Oh that's funny!" Usagi said with a laugh. "Where would he go, the moon?" She laughed while Luna just shook her head.

Hana just smiled. "I don't think he thought that far ahead with his plan," she confessed. "I'll show you and Rin-chan the way after school tomorrow then. Bye-bye." She waved.

"Bye!" Usagi said, hugging her before hopping off home.


	4. Chapter 3

At school again Hana waited for Usagi at the gate.

Usagi snuck up on Hana and then pounced, giving her a surprise hug.

"HEY THERE!" she squealed happily, truly excited about things. She had found another Senshi the night before, met her dream guy, and was helping out with a kids party later on that day!

"Well hello there!" Rin giggled, jumping in on the hug action.

Hana squeak-squawked as she was pounced upon, not once, but twice. She couldn't help but laugh. So this was what having friends was like huh? "Morning. I was actually hoping to see you both. We need to plan to meet up after school so I can show you guys how to get to my house," she told them. Though Usagi had already been outside it, she might not have known it.

"Sure. Where and when?" Usagi asked, letting go of Hana and giggling.

"How about right here at the gate after school?" she suggested.

"That sounds good to me!" Rin said excitedly. Usagi nodded and then took Hana's hand.

"Let's get up to class. The sooner we get there, the sooner the day is over!" she exclaimed, and Rin raced them up the stairs to their classrooms.

Hana led her friends back to her house after school, giving them warning about how things were likely to be and how they didn't need to push themselves if the kids started to irritate them. She'd completely understand if they didn't want to stick around.

"As spineless as ever it seems," someone drawled from behind them.

Hana meeped softly and turned. "Kazuma." She bowed to him. "Here to drop off Shotoro-kun?" she asked, smiling at the young boy beside Kazuma.

Kazuma was tall with reddish brown hair that was all around messy, and green eyes. His features were fine and he looked like the kind of pretty boy that could easily pull off being a woman if he wanted. Though hardly any women were as tall as he was. "Yep." He nodded the girls, but was giving them an odd look. "You still bending over backwards for your 'friends'?"

Hana blushed, frowning. "They aren't like that at all Kazuma! Usagi-chan and Rin-chan are very sweet girls and they aren't being unfair to me."

"Like you'd know if they were," he muttered. He changed the subject before Hana could give him the angry response that waited on her lips. "What was Kyo's idea this year? Time travel? I think the rocket idea would have been fun, but..." he let it trail off with a shrug.

Hana didn't lose the angry face for a minute but then sighed and gave him a 'what am I going to do about you?' smile with a shake of her head. "No, it was reasonable enough that we're going to be able to do it this time around. An A-m-u-s-m-e-n-t-p-a-r-k." She spelled it out for the sake of maintaining the surprise for the six year old boy that was holding onto Kazuma's sleeve. Clearly he was trying to figure out what she had spelled.

Kazuma whistled. "And it's just you three girls?" When she nodded he looked down at his kid brother and then back up at the girls with a charming grin. "Care for an extra pair of eyes? I don't have any plans tonight anyway."

"R-really? What about your girlfriend? She always has plans with you I thought."

He shrugged. "We broke up. Wasn't working." He didn't seem bothered at all. "Come on. You don't want to take too long or the kids will start rioting."

Usagi walked up just then, having noticed the angry set to Hana's eyes earlier. She was holding one of the little girls who was giggling and playing with the crescent moon shaped necklace she had on. Her broach was in her pocket, tucked there just in case.

"Hana, is he being mean to you?" she asked, glaring at him. Rin walked up too, holding Kyo's and his friend's hand. Both looked up at her and asked about something to drink and going to the bathroom. She frowned.

"You two just went!" she exclaimed.

Kazuma stared right back at Usagi, giving her a raised eyebrow and chuckling.

Hana glanced at the two girls, flushing slightly. "No. Kazuma is just worried about me... I... a year or two ago... I had some... girls I knew... that were pretty much making me their slave. They said that we were friends... but... he's just worried that I'm being taken advantage of again... which is why I was angry... it's a sore spot... and you are my friends. I didn't want him thinking badly of you..."

Usagi looked genuinely puzzled as she asked her next question.

"Why would I take advantage of you?" she asked Hana, seriously confused. "It's not very nice for people to do something like that..." Rin came back, bringing the two boys with her that had needed to go to the bathroom. Sighing, Usagi shook her head and then turned to Rin, who looked a tad frazzled. "Rin, you okay?" she asked, concerned as she left Hana to talk to Kazuma some more. Something glittered on her forehead briefly, but only for an instant before it disappeared. Luna breathed a sigh of relief as she walked up to Hana and meowed, rubbing against her leg. The little girl that Hana was holding onto squealed with delight and reached out to Luna, who gladly jumped up into her arms.

"Pwetty kitty," the little girl said happily, looking up at Hana and beaming.

"Kyo, Ke-kun. Be nice to Rin-onee-san," she told the boys, setting down the girl to she could pet Luna. "Remember to be gentle," she reminded her softy. "Why don't you go ride the little ferris wheel with some of your friends Kyo?" she suggested.

Kyo grinned and started to gather his friends to do just that.

Kazuma finished lecturing his brother about pushing girls when Usagi reached him. "Help you with something Miss Meatballs?" he asked with a slight teasing smirk. If she and that Rin girl were willing to put up with this many kids for Hana, that couldn't be like the girls she'd made the mistake of befriending before.

"For one they're shaped like hearts," Usagi said shortly after letting the little girl in her arms go to run after her friends. Turning to Kazuma, she crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him. "And for two, they're buns, not meatballs. Why would you think that I need your help anyways?" She seemed a bit steamed about the meatball statement, but when she saw one of the rides nearby, she got excited. "Hana!" she called. "Rin! That ride looks so fun! We should come back sometime and go on it!" Rin grinned.

"We can. I don't think that now would be great cuz we have to take care of the kids, but maybe tomorrow or something. Maybe even the weekend!" she said. Both looked at Hana, pleading.

"We don't wanna go without you though..." Usagi said, knowing full well that Hana had to take care of her brother a lot. She was ignoring Kazuma completely now. "Maybe on the weekend would be better because you won't have to take care of your brother?"

Hana was about to answer, but caught Kazuma's look. Usagi-chan had stuck one of his... quirk nerves it seemed. "I- uh.. I could try just depends on if I can get someone to watch Kyo." She was watching Kazuma who was watching Usagi with an intense contemplative expression.

He made his mind up about something. "Yeah why not. Sho loves having him over." He then reached out and grasped one of Usagi's pigtails, tugging it gently. "Not very considerate of you. You came to talk to me and then ignore me afterwards. Careful Miss Usagi or I may take to calling you meatball just for the hell of it and to mess with you."

Hana sighed, this was not likely to go well. Kazuma was playful, but not everyone could take his play well.

"Why you!" Usagi said, pulling her hair from his hands. Glaring at him, she sighed and relented. "I probably deserved that..." Rin was giggling.

"Usagi-chan, should we leave you two alone?" she asked. Usagi cast her a terrified look.

"Don't do that!" she gasped. Luna had come over and was rubbing against her legs. She seemed rather insistent, so Usagi picked her up.

Kazuma chuckled. "Too bad. You're sort of my type." With that last tease he left her, going to watch the kids that were getting onto the Ferris wheel.

Hana bit her lip to keep from laughing as well.

"Well! Of all the!" Usagi huffed, bright red. "Hana...!" she whined, but was cut off by Luna.

"Usagi, I sense something," she hissed quietly. Usagi immediately started looking serious. "The other two can take care of the children with that boy, right?" she asked. Usagi looked at Rin and Hana. Rin nodded before looking at Hana as well.

"Hana, I'm really sorry..." Usagi said softly. "I have to..."

Hana shook her head. "Go. Thank you for your help. Do what you need to now," she urged.

Kazuma stopped. Something was wrong. He could just feel it, same as he had before. He glanced behind him. It would be fine. There were three girls. They could keep an eye on the 11 kids by themselves for a bit. He tapped his brother's shoulder. "Heading out for a bit if the girls ask."

Usagi dashed into the girl's bathroom. Luckily it was empty at the moment.

"Moon Prism Power, Make Up!" she said, hoping her voice wouldn't echo too badly off the empty walls. In an instant, Sailor Moon stood in her place, and looking at Luna, she nodded. "I can sense it now too," she said, and ran out of the bathroom, colliding with Kazuma when she had shoved her way through a crowd of people. "Oh dear, I'm sorry sir," she gasped before running away towards what she sensed. When she got there, she found a young woman with long blue hair cornered by a slightly older woman with black-red hair. "I don't know who you are, but you look like one of those other dark ladies!" Sailor Moon shouted. "I'll punish you in the name of the moon!" The older woman turned, frowning.

"And why do you think you can do that? I punish Sailor Moon all the time," she said softly. Drawing back, like she had a bow and arrow, she launched a fiery attack.

"Ack!" Sailor Moon screeched, jumping out of the way.

'Did she just... so she was here too?' Kazuma wondered, hiding for his own change.

The girl with blue hair acted quick. She swung her legs around, kicking the leg of the older girl, trying to take her feet out from under hoping to help her rescuer somehow. Put the fire bolt had already been released.

Archer slammed into Sailor Moon, his arm getting grazed by the fire arrow. Hold her tight they rolled and his back slammed into a wall that stopped them. "You know Sailor Moon you have quite a knack for getting yourself in to trouble," he told her, a slight groan in his voice. That had hurt. "I hope you don't plan on making a habit of us meeting like this."

"I-it's not intended," Sailor Moon stammered. "My friends are rather busy at the moment..." Standing and helping Archer up, she looked at him, her eyes pleading. "Can you distract Dark Mars for a few moments? I really need to get to the other girl..." Giving him a thankful hug, she dashed over to where the girl with blue hair was. "Okay, I know this sounds insane, but in your pocket there's a pen. You are a Sailor Senshi. Please transform and help! The other two can't help right now..."

Archer sighed. "Got to get your next Senshi right?" he asked, not expecting an answer as she was already dashing away. "So. Never fight against another archer. Should be interesting," he commented, drawing his own bow, arrow notched and aimed at Dark Mars.

Yumiko blinked at her a few times, then reached into her pocket. As predicted, she found a pen. "Mercury Power Make Up!" she called, holding up the pen, she transformed, and looked down at herself. "It's odd. I just... know," she murmured. "You're... Sailor Moon right? Who is he?" she asked, indicating Moonlit Archer.

"He's the Moonlit Archer," Sailor Moon, her eyes sparkling as she watched him. Dark Mars drew back on her fiery bow and let loose another flaming arrow. "No! Look out!" Sailor Moon called, and she took her tiara off. "Moon Tiara Boomerang!" Launching the spinning disk of light caused Dark Mars to aim for that instead of him, and Sailor Moon shoved Mercury down so that they both hit the floor when the arrow dashed the tiara to the ground and hit the wall. Dark Mars growled angrily and started to move towards them as they struggled to stand up. "Sorry..." Sailor Moon apologized pathetically.

Archer had dodged to the right with a roll and loosed an arrow at Dark Mars.

"No. It's fine," Mercury muttered. She got to her feet. "He's good," she commented, thinking. She knew what her ability was somehow. And it wouldn't help against fire. This wasn't going well. "We have to figure out how to get her out of here," she murmured to Sailor Moon.

Archer was doing his best to keep Dark Mars' attention while the girls chatted.

Dark Mars whirled on him when the arrow hit the ground at her feet.

"Well, we can always tackle her. After we've done that to the others, they've usually left," Sailor Moon said with a nervous chuckle. She was feeling a little out of her depth and was finding that she didn't like it. Especially since she knew that if she and Mercury failed here, then the people in the park and the rest of the world would be in terrible danger. "You're Mercury though, right? Maybe you can do something that would help disguise our movements or something. Mercury is the Senshi of Ice, right?" She cast Mercury a hopeful glance as she started to edge towards Dark Mars.

"But she has power over fire. She'd burn away any mist I use," Mercury pointed out. "AH! I know. Follow me." She turned and started to run.

Archer notched for arrows and shot them all at once. The girls were moving. Where were they trying to go? Did he need to follow or keep her busy here?

"We'll lure her into the fun house," Mercury said, glancing back. She was still fighting Archer. "You stay with him. Tell him the plan. Once she's in the house, I'll send out a mist, the place is full of mirror so we can use that to help mask our movements even if she burns away my mist," Mercury explained. "I'll go on ahead to get everyone out before hand."

"Perfect!" Sailor Moon exclaimed, and looped back, doing a somersault and picking up her tiara while she was at it. "Hi!" she said cheerfully as she jumped up next to Moonlit Archer. Grabbing his hand, she started in the direction of the fun house, telling him the plan on the way. Dark Mars followed, intent on reaching her trio of targets. She wasn't as easily swayed as Dark Jupiter or Dark Moon.

"We'll have the same disadvantage. We won't know where each other is necessarily. I just hope you two don't hit each other in the crossfire," he told her, turning, firing, and turning back in one smooth motion. "Well- I'll know where you are- but you won't," he clarified.

"Actually..." Sailor Moon said with a quick smile, "I can sense you. As well as I can sense my other Senshi, I can also sense you. You have a sort of power. Not like us, but you have it. Don't worry, I won't throw anything your way." Once they got inside the fun house, she let go of his hand and disappeared into the maze with a smile.

He chuckled, shaking his head. "So that is Sailor Moon. She was right- she is an odd one," he murmured and slipped into the fun house as well, setting himself up in a good observation spot.

Mercury had as promised cleared the place- by setting off the fire alarm for the whole park. 'Not the best use of my skills but still,' she thought with a sigh. She'd also set it up so that the fire seemed to be somewhere else- keeping employees from trying to check the fun house.

Hana was counting kids. All were present and accounted for- but Kazuma hadn't come back- and Usagi was still gone too. She had a feeling this evacuation was because something had gone wrong. "Mrs. Sumi! Please watch the kids for a bit. Rin-chan and I are going to go find Kazuma and Usagi-chan." Before the woman could argue, she'd taken RIn's hand and was running back into the park. She ducked into the first enclosed space she could find and transformed- then went in search of her friends- keeping an eye open for Kazuma as well.

Mars followed Jupiter, pulling her out of the way when part of the fun house seemed to explode outwards, followed by a tumbling Dark Mars. Sailor Moon followed, her tiara now a spinning disc in her hand.

"Leave now and tell your friends that we'll find them wherever they are and we'll defeat them!" she said, not noticing Jupiter and Mars. Dark Mars stood, snarling almost like a wounded animal. Seeing the other two finally, Sailor Moon frantically waved them away. "Dark Mars, I know that there are many of you. Don't make this harder for them!" Dark Mars stood and hissed angrily, stalking towards Sailor Moon and then suddenly tackling her to the ground. Her tiara went flying, clattering to the ground.

"Yes- we're really going to go away," Jupiter muttered, rushing to help her friend.

Mercury got there first and with a swift kick to the chin knocked Dark Mars off Moon.

Archer staggered to his feet with a soft groan. He was going to be sore for the next few days- healing or no. That last blast from Dark Mars and rocketed him through some mirrors and into the back wall.

Dark Mars yelped and jumped away, disappearing into the chaos of the now slowly emptying park. Mars went to help up Moon, who was rubbing the back of her head. Looking around, she saw Moonlit Archer and ran to help him.

"I'm sorry," she said softly, helping him up. Mars picked up Moon's tiara, wondering why it hadn't boomeranged back to her when she had fallen. Shrugging, she started to walk up to the two, but then decided against it, instead looking at Mercury, letting Moon and Archer have a short private moment.

"Well hello there new friend," she said with a smile, holding Moon's tiara tight.

Mercury gave a tired smile. "Hello. Seems I'm Sailor Mercury, but my name's Yumiko. Nice to meet you."

Jupiter joined them after deciding the same thing Mars had. "I'm Sailor Jupiter, Hana. Nice to meet you too."

Archer chuckled weakly as she helped him steady himself. "Well it worked- I just didn't get out of the way fast enough," he looked over at the other three girls. "Seems your team is filling up quickly." He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. It was harder for him to heal himself than others for some reason.

"You can use my strength if you need it," Moon said suddenly, holding her hand out to him and feeling shy for some reason. "I've always had plenty extra, at least that's what my mom has always told me." Her eyes grew a tad sad at this, but she shook her head, smiling at him. "Thank you for helping us by the way." Looking back at the others, she nodded a little too. "Yeah, filling up. I only need to find one more. They're all good sports for having to deal with someone like me." Mars smiled.

"Rin. Nice to meet you too," she said, shaking Yumiko's hand. "Since we've got the three of us plus Usagi, looks like we only need to find Venus." Realizing that she had named Moon without specifying, but then also realizing that she kinda had specified, Mars just bit her lip. "Usagi being Moon of course," she forced herself to say, just so that her mind would stop turning circles on her.

Mercury nodded. "I figured that was who you were talking about. So- the hotty she's talking to- any idea who he is? Other than Moonlit Archer?" she asked, eying him. They seemed pretty chummy but...

Archer smiled at her, taking her hand in his. "That might make things easier for me," he told her. She could feel her energy flowing from her, and his breathing started to come easier. After a moment the flow stopped, but he didn't drop her hand. Instead he got a little mischievous smirk on his face, raised her hand and placed a soft kiss on it. "My thanks, Sailor Moon," he whispered.

Moon blushed brightly, turning her head to the side.

"Oh, you don't have to thank me," she stammered, her free hand going up to rest on her cheek, as if she was trying to hide herself.

Mars shrugged.

"You know, I'm not too sure. He showed up and helped us last fight, and I guess he showed up for this fight. I'm not complaining. He's good with that bow and arrow," she said. "Poor Usa-chan has a huge crush on him."

Jupiter nodded her agreement as she stared at them. Something about him seemed... familiar. She watched, her expression growing more and more puzzled.

Mercury glanced at her and then at them- in time to see the kiss of her hand. "Jealous Jupiter?"

Hana jumped, startled from her thoughts and turned red. "W-what? N-no! I was just-" She didn't know how to explain it and fell silent, looking frustrated over her inability to speak.

Archer watched Sailor Moon, and then straightened, catching her chin to have her look at him. 'Well I'll be damned... She looks like Hana's new friend Usagi,' he thought. That would be quite the surprise wouldn't it? He let he go and looked over at the other girls, staring at the girl with pink hair- she did look like Hana- especially that frustrated expression. Then girl with reddish pigtails... was Rin? Maybe... after all he knew that Mercury had only just joined he group... he'd have to see if Hana had one new friend. He released Sailor Moon. "Until next time then. Try not to get yourselves killed." He nodded, and with a bow, left.

"I, ah, of course," Sailor Moon stammered, then walked back over towards Jupiter. Having just met Kazuma, she didn't really recognize him. "I have no idea what just happened there..." she murmured when Mars started teasing her about how red her face was. Looking around and making sure that no one was around, she nodded and let her transformation go. Holding a hand out to Mercury, she smiled, trying to calm herself down. "I'm Usagi," she said, introducing herself, not aware of the fact that Mercury already knew her name. Rin smiled and let her transformation go as well.

Yumiko and Hana also released their transformations. Yumiko smiled and took the offered hand. "Yeah, Rin and Hana here told me. You... all go to my school right? West Shinko middle school?" she asked, looking between the untransformed girls. They looked familiar enough now. "I'm Yumiko, from class A," she introduced. "So- who was that crazy fire chick? And why was she trying so hard to attack us- even though she kinda looked like she could have been like us?"

Usagi looked around for Luna, but the cat was nowhere to be found.

"That was Dark Mars," she said finally, when Rin and Hana both looked at her. "She's the Mars from the past, the original Sailor Mars." Looking up at Yumiko, she sighed. "We've already seen Dark Moon and Dark Jupiter. I have no doubt that we will be seeing the rest of them soon... Mercury and Uranus, Neptune, Saturn, and Pluto..." Sighing, Usagi sat down on one of the bigger pieces of rubble. "Because they are all here, there's stuff happening to the time continuum," she added. "We need to figure out how to send them back soon, or we might cease to exist." Looking directly at Hana, since she was the first one that Usagi had befriended and known to be a Senshi. "I think I got Luna to admit last night that there were more than just those ones though, so I think we should be on the lookout for more. And we need to find Venus and Artemis. Then, we'll be able to figure things out better. How to work together better and everything. Not that we weren't working together better but... Yeah..." She sighed. "These bad guys need to time their attacks better..."

Hana nodded her agreement.

"Yumi-chan?" came a distant male call.

"Ryugi," Yumiko breathed. "I have to go. My boyfriend is looking for me. Actually- you better get going too. Or you can explain to the authorities why you were hanging around," she told them, pushing off the bit of standing wall she'd been leaning against. "See you girls at school., she told them, running off.

A boy appeared, black hair, glasses- though not nerd glasses- and only slightly taller than her. When Yumiko reached him he swept her into a hug and talked hurriedly to her, taking her hands in his. She seemed to be assuring him she was alright, having gained only a few scraps in the fight.

Hana watched a moment then looked to Usagi and Rin. "She's right. We should get going. I left the kids with one of the mothers but- and I don't know if Kazuma's made his way back yet," she told them.

"Oh no!" Usagi gasped. "Oh, I'm sorry Hana... I didn't want to make you two come and help... I thought that Yumiko and I had it fine, especially when the Archer came along..." As she talked, they ran back to where they had left the mothers.

"Found Usagi!" Rin said with a grin when they started to ask what was wrong and why they had a few scrapes, Usagi more than the others.

"Finally!" Kazuma came trotting up to the group. "I've been looking for you," he told the girls, a little out of breath.

The woman nodded. "After he came back I told him that Hana-chan and Rin-san had gone looking for him and Usagi-san. So off he went to find you."

Kazuma was watching the three of them. "Hey Usagi-chan?" He walked up to her, eyes intent. "Open your shirt."


	5. Chapter 4

"Well!" Usagi said indignantly. "No!" Her face was bright red and the mothers were protesting indignantly as well. Walking right up to him, she got in his face. "You sir, are terrible. See if I ever talk to you again!" Turning to Hana, she gave her an apologetic look. "I'm sorry Hana, but I really don't think I can stay. My cat is lost. I want to stay and help, but Luna has run off." Rin frowned at Kazuma, but stayed with Hana.

"Go on Usagi, we understand," she said. The mothers all nodded too, and Usagi cast a last glare at Kazuma before dashing off, calling Luna's name. Her broach bounced reassuringly in her pocket, and her moon shaped necklace glittered gold against her chest. As she turned, something silver briefly flashed on her forehead, but only for an instant, there and gone before anyone could notice.

"Luna!" Her voice could be heard over the silence that had descended over the park as she called for her cat.

Hana was just staring at him. "Why-?"

Kazuma sighed rubbing his eyes. "I did not word that well," he muttered. "It looked like she had a pretty bad cut by her shoulder, I could see some blood seeping through on her shirt. My dad does run a clinic remember? I was going to see how bad it was and if she needed first aide," he explained, then looked at the mothers. "It was medically related, NOT for sick pleasure. Thanks so much for thinking of me that way."

Hana nodded that made much more sense. "Maybe you should try explaining yourself more?"

"Yeah I got that," he sighed again. "Guess I should apologize for saying it that way. I'll help her find her cat and apologize." He send one more look at the mothers that were there and headed off. 'At least Hana didn't jump to the wrong conclusion,' he thought with a bitter sulk, following the sound of shouting for a cat he heard.

"You know... most cats don't come when called for," he told her as he approached.

Usagi whirled, stumbling over some rubble.

"Luna's different," she muttered. Raising a hand to her head, she shook it, feeling a tad disoriented for some reason. "Um, she was around here last time I saw her." Casting a glance in his direction, she frowned. "Why are you here?" she added after a few moments.

He's reached to grab her, but stopped when she didn't fall over. He sighed. "To help you find your cat and say 'sorry' for what I asked. It didn't come out right. I meant that I wanted you to open that shirt of yours so I could look at your shoulder. You know you're bleeding right? My family runs a clinic so I'm pretty good at first aide."

"I'm what?" Usagi gasped, looking down. Seeing the line of blood that was seeping through her shirt, she paled. "Oh..." Taking a deep breath and sitting down, she peeled her shirt from her shoulder. "That explains a couple of things..." Thinking back to the fight, she remembered getting barely grazed by one of Dark Mars' arrows. She'd thought that it had cauterized and thus forgotten about it.

"What did you get hit with?" he asked, kneeling down before her. Since he had a little brother who was accident prone, Kazuma had gotten into the happen of carrying first aid supplies with him whenever he want out. Plus- never knew when you'd need it. "It looks like it's burned around the edges," he told her, pulling out a mini bottle of hydrogen peroxide from his pack and getting a rag wet. "This may hurt a bit," he warned and pressed the soaked rag to her wound. 'Wish I'd noticed this earlier. Would have been easier to heal for her,' he thought.

Hissing at the initial wave of pain, Usagi was made intently aware of the fact that she should be more careful, so that others wouldn't be put into danger.

"I don't know," she said, in answer to his question about where she'd gotten it. "I might have been scraped by some rubble." Suddenly aware of Kazuma's proximity, she blushed. "Ah... Thank you..." she said after a few moments. "I'm sorry for earlier..."

He glanced at her and his lips twitched before he shrugged. "I didn't explain myself very well- so I'm kind of at fault. You've got a pretty quick temper don't you?" asked, lifting the rag to check on the cut before pressing it gently down again. "I'll have to try to keep that in mind so I don't end up on the wrong side of it. I actually thought you were going to slap me for a minute there."

Giggling a bit, Usagi shifted so that she wasn't as uncomfortable.

"I was considering it for a few seconds, but I decided not to. I was making enough of a scene," she admitted. At that moment, a black cat with a golden crescent moon on her forehead jumped up into Usagi's lap, making her jump. "Oh! Luna! You scared me!" Luna meowed and rubbed her head against Usagi's hand, then looked at Kazuma with gold eyes.

Kazuma twitched slightly when the cat appeared. He'd felt something approaching- but hadn't thought it was a cat. Didn't feel like a normal cat would. "So this is Luna huh? She's pretty," he commented, pulling away the rag, and going back into his bag, pulling out a bit of gauze and some medical tape. "Well I'm glad you reconsidered. I'd have a hell of a time reclaiming my dignity if you had."

"Even if I had assumed the wrong thing, you're a little too nice to smack," Usagi said in a rush, blushing slightly. Luna meowed and started purring when Kazuma commented on her being pretty. Smiling, Usagi conveniently ignored her last comment and started to talk again. "Luna likes it when people call her pretty." Petting Luna with her good hand, Usagi sighed. "I've had her since I was a baby. I have this special connection with her I think. She's very important to me..."

His lips twitched again at her rushed comment, but he let it go without comment. "She doesn't look that old. You, my beautiful lady, age better than any human could," he said, looking to Luna for a moment as he started to bandage her cut.

Usagi smiled as Luna started to purr even louder. Luna almost laughed. How ironic it was that Kazuma was talking about the oldest cat on Earth, and the daughter of the current Moon Queen, leader of the race of humans with legendary longevity. As Kazuma finished bandaging her cut, she stood, and Luna jumped onto her good shoulder, curling about her neck like a scarf. Smiling at Kazuma and helping him clean up his first aid kit, Usagi nearly started talking, but then stopped.

"What are your parents like?" she asked after a moment. "What kind of clinic do they run?"

'Well... it's just my Dad now... He and Mom got a divorce, and now she works at a hospital as a nurse rather than with Dad as his nurse," he told her, shouldering his bag once everything was back inside. "Dad's a workaholic and only got worse once Mom left. He cares a lot about people... but he gets so focused on patients he forgets his family. That's why mom left," he explained with a shrug.

"Oh dear..." Usagi said, looking at Luna. "Well, I wish I knew where my parents were. I'm afraid that the school is going to find out that they're missing and is going to make me go live somewhere else..."

"Wait." Kazuma grabbed her arm gently. "Your parents are missing? And you haven't reported it yet?"

"I don't think that the police would be able to find them," Usagi said softly. "It's... It's difficult to explain..." Luna meowed, rubbing her face against Usagi's cheek and Usagi smiled sadly, petting her. "You don't have to worry though. I'm fine." She gave Kazuma a smile and turned to start walking again. "It's just like they're on a business trip. I can take care of myself just fine."

He muttered something under his breath but didn't argue the point. When they reached the others, mothers were already leaving with their children and Hana was comforting a crying Kyo.

"It's alright Kyo. We'll finish the party later," she promised.

"Ah! Kazu!" His little brother waved to him, holding the hand of a lovely woman with short hair the same reddish brown as his.

"Mom? What are you- how did you know to come?"

She waved his question on with a hand. "I knew the party was here and I heard about the evacuation on the news," she answered. "Where have you been? You left your brother alone!"

Kazuma sighed, looking at the sky in a slight eye roll. "He was with Hana-chan and other mothers and he's a good kid that knows to stay put," he told her in an overly patient voice.

She glared at him. "Take after your father. So single minded," she muttered. When Kazuma just continued to stare at her she huffed and sighed. "I'm taking him home. Tell your Father."

"You could just call him yourself Mom!" Kazuma called after her. "Good grief- it's like a feud between kids that give each other the silent treatment," he muttered.

Usagi laughed a bit, but only quietly, knowing he might get angry at her. Rin looked at her, raising an eyebrow.

"Turns out I had a cut on my shoulder. That's all," Usagi said, blushing slightly. Rin smiled.

"Well I'm glad Kazuma was able to help you," she said, giving Usagi a hug. Usagi nodded, Luna meowing indignantly as she was crushed.

"Oh! I was going to invite everyone over for dinner tonight. I really wanted to make something for you," she said as she pulled away. "I have this new recipe for curry that I wanted to try out, but I always make enough to feed an army." Rin looked at Hana, shrugging.

"Sounds good to me. I'll just have to call my mom to let her know," she said.

"Please Hana?" Usagi asked, clapping her hands together. "You can come too Kazuma, if you want."

Hana looked to her little brother. "If.. if I can bring Kyo I can... Mom won't be home for another…" she glanced at her wrist watch, "two hours."

Kazuma shrugged. "I don't mind. Don't have anything else to do tonight- now that Mom has the kid."

"Sweet! Kyo can come along too." Usagi grinned happily. "We can play cards or something with him to make up for the park being evacuated." Leading the way to her house, she let everyone inside.

"It's so quiet," Rin said with a shiver as she stepped into a pair of slippers.

"Can't be helped," Usagi called from the kitchen as she putzed around, pulling out a couple pots and pans, and all the ingredients she needed. Rin shut the door behind everyone, and Luna dashed around their feet before going to the kitchen. The meal was cooking and smelling good when an almighty crash came from the kitchen and Luna started to meow pitifully. Rin ran to the kitchen, dropping her cards on the table.

"Usagi, I told you that we could help if you nee..." Rin trailed off mid-word as she saw the scene in the kitchen. Usagi lay prone on the floor, awkwardly stretched out as the white rice she'd been draining was slowly spreading in the water that had still been in the bowl, and had ended up on the floor when she'd fallen. "Kazuma!" Rin called in a panic.

Kazuma was already on his way, he reached the kitchen at a run when Rin shouted. He knelt down, taking her pulse, checking her eyes in reaction to light from the pen light he kept on his key chain. He gently checked her head, her neck. "She's okay... just passed out," he told her. "I'll take her to her room- do you think you could take care of this?" he asked, indicating the mess on the floor as he picked her up.

He carried her up the stairs and found her room by the cute sign on the door. Carefully he lay her down on her bed. Alone with her, he rested his hand on her head, healing the bumps and bruises that he'd felt on her head.

Luna closely followed him up to Usagi's room, and jumped up onto Usagi's bed. Meowing, he went and rubbed her face against Usagi's cheek, then curled up against her, watching Kazuma with her gold eyes. Usagi was pale, her skin clammy to the touch. Her breathing was shallow, and Luna meowed worriedly.

He looked between Luna and the door and then sighed. "Okay you. I expect you to keep this a secret. She doesn't need to know who I am yet," he told her. "I already know about who you are Luna." He held his hand out over Usagi, a soft glow coming from his palm. Her shoulder matched the glow and he cursed. "Damn- I should have healed this sooner," he muttered, opening her shirt and removing the bandage. It was getting worse very quickly. "I don't think I can heal this... not all at once." He took a breath and transformed into Moonlit Archer to increase his power, then pressed his hand over the cut. It only took him a few minutes but he was on his knees by the time he did finish, panting. "That should do for now," he gasped, undoing his transformation and leaning back against the wall.

"Kazuma? How is Usagi-chan?" Hana called up.

"She seems to be running a slight fever- she was probably in shock earlier. You and Rin-chan go ahead and head home. I'll keep an eye on Usagi-chan. No reason for all of us to stay."

"Well, if you already know who I am, then maybe you should have asked for help," Luna said haughtily. She jumped down, going to sit in Kazuma's lap. "And in turn, I have a secret that I want you to keep." She regarded him carefully. "I think I can trust you Kazuma. But you have to promise. This secret is one that is protecting Usagi's very life."

He sighed. "I'm stubborn like that," he told her, then regarded the cat more seriously. "Alright. I promise," he agreed after thinking for a minute. At least he didn't take promises lightly.

Luna regarded him for a moment, then nodded.

"That girl is the Moon Princess. She is here on Earth because it is safer for her to be here. She doesn't know that she is Princess Serenity, heir to the Moon Kingdom." At that moment, the silver crescent moon, symbol of her royalty, shone on Usagi's forehead. Luna sighed and went over, closing her eyes and bumping her head against Usagi's cheek. The crescent moon went away, and Luna walked back over to Kazuma. "Her foster parents are missing because of something to do with these enemies. I'm not sure why, but that is why they are gone." Usagi was sleeping peacefully now, and she murmured something softly as she turned over, facing the window. The moonlight accentuated her hair and skin, making the crescent shaped pendant around her neck sparkle. Her broach slid out of her pocket as she turned, but Luna didn't really care. Kazuma was her main protector now. He would know everything. As the night wore on, Luna told Kazuma everything about the enemies and Usagi that he would need to know. Soon, close to midnight, Luna stood up, looking him straight in the eyes. "Kazuma. I need to know. I know that I brought you into this when I told you who she was. I'm only a cat. I can't do much. Will you promise to protect her? Her guardian Senshi can only do so much. You can do so much more."

Again Kazuma thought carefully before answering. "Yes, I promise. I know what my responsibility is anyway. As the Moon Princess, she is part of that responsibility." He smiled slightly. "Besides, how could I leave such a clumsy girl on her own?" he added, leaning back against the wall. "Luna... I should tell you then. The reason i know about you- is because I've been told by those that I work with," he explained to her what he meant. "They can't be revealed just yet, or these girls, particularly her-" he nodded towards Usagi. "-might come to rely too heavily on their power without fully developing their own and strengthening their bonds."

"I understand," Luna said. "Personally, I think that she's not as clumsy as the original Usagi." Rolling her eyes, Luna jumped up and curled up next to Usagi. Yawning and stretching before settling down again, she looked at Kazuma. "I think that there are more than just the nine original Senshi involved. So we need to keep a close lookout. Thank you Kazuma." With that, she fell asleep, immediately, as cats are wont to do. Usagi lay there, sleeping soundly, the moonlight highlighting her hair and skin. She truly looked like the princess then, at that moment. Smiling softly in her sleep, she whispered something unintelligible, curling up even tighter as she shivered.

The other girls had left at some point- probably with Hana convincing Rin that Kazuma was actually a very decent guy.

Struggling to his feet, Kazuma went to Usagi and pulled the extra blanket at the foot of her bed over her. As he tucked her in, he had a sudden urge to lean the rest of the way over and kiss her. He straightened quickly to keep from acting on that urge. 'Don't be ridiculous Kazuma,' he thought, going back to his spot on the far side of the wall. 'Why would such a thought pop into your head like that? Sure she's pretty and sweet and all- but that's just...' he shook his head. 'Don't dwell or it will just get worse,' he told himself, closing his eyes. He fell asleep fairly quickly, not even realizing he'd dozed off. When he woke again in the morning, the sun was rising and he was stiff, but re-energized.

Usagi was already awake and downstairs, making breakfast. The smells of good food were floating upstairs. Luna had told her what had happened, as far as Kazuma staying to make sure she was okay after collapsing the night before, but that was it. After finishing breakfast and making a plate for him, and setting it in the microwave to keep it warm, Usagi looked at the ceiling. Tip-toeing upstairs, just in case he was still asleep, Usagi poked her head into her room. Smiling when she saw that he was awake, she walked into the room fully.

"Hello there sleepyhead," she said cheerfully. Holding a hand out to him in an offer to help him stand, she tilted her head to the side. "Thank you for taking care of me last night. I'm sorry I passed out in the middle of making dinner. You must be starving! So I've made breakfast." Her grin was genuinely happy as she watched him.

He took her hand, getting to his feet. "It alright. What did you make? Smells good," he told her, following her downstairs.

"Oh, just some bacon and eggs with waffles. Something simple," Usagi said. She blushed. "I figured something elaborate would be kinda out there for breakfast." Pulling the plate out of the microwave, she handed it to him. Her plate was already out. "I put it in there to keep it warm. I hope you like it!" Her blush deepened a little, and she quickly took her plate to the table.

She was so hard NOT to mess with, with that kind of reaction. He brought his plate to the table, but as he passed her, he rested his hand on her shoulder and leaned down, whispering "Thanks" in her ear before taking a seat.

"Meep!" Usagi squeaked, looking at her plate intently. "Um, anytime."

Since he ended up needing to run home for a clean uniform, Kazuma was late coming back to school.

Hana greeted Usagi with a hug when she entered the classroom. "Usagi-chan! I'm so glad you're okay! I was really worried when you passed out last night."

"Sorry," Usagi apologized, hugging Hana back. "But Kazuma took such good care of me. I made him breakfast." She smiled. "I'm sorry I wasn't able to finish making dinner for you guys. I wanted to do something nice for you..." Rin was in her own class, and thus, not able to be there to say hi and express her own worry.

Hana shook her head. "No, it's fine. Rin-chan and I ended up going to a dinner. Kyo loved it since they sang to him and gave him a sundae," she told her with a soft smile. Then she bit her lip, trying to hid the shyly sly smile that was there. "So- you made Kazuma breakfast huh? Anything else happen with Kazuma?"

"Nothing really," Usagi said, flushing slightly when she remembered how he said thanks. "He just said thanks and then had to dash home to get a clean uniform. He couldn't exactly go to school in his regular clothing, could he?" she asked hurriedly. "Luna seemed to really like him though. I wonder why."

Hana was not good at interrogations. She'd have to report this to Rin-chan and let her handle it more. "Oh! At lunch we're going to meet up with Yumiko-chan."

Yumiko was waiting for them on the roof, sipping away on a strawberry milk tea. "Hey. You all look well, all things considered," she commented when she saw the other scouts. Seeing her in her uniform like this, they were able to recognize her easily as one of the school's heartthrobs- as well as one of its trouble makers. She got into fights almost as often as she was the cause of them.

"Hi Yumiko!" Usagi cheered and bounced over. Giving the girl a hug, she stood straight and grinned happily. "I'm glad to see that you're doing well." Frowning suddenly, Usagi sighed. "I'm sorry for not having explained things well yesterday..."

She shrugged. "It's all good. Hana and Rin filled me in this morning before class started. I heard you passed out. Glad to see you doing okay." She was silent a moment and then placed her hands on Usagi's shoulders with a grin of all sly grins. "Sooo- who's this Moonlit Archer of yours? You two- close?" she asked- her tone more than just a little suggestive.

"Oh!" Usagi blushed brightly, looking down at the ground. "Um. Well. He helps us out a lot..." she said softly. "I suppose we are kinda close. But I don't really know who he is..." Her eyes shone as she spoke. "I would really like it if I did though. Maybe if he was like Kazuma-san!" Her blush grew brighter. "I've got a crush on the two of them... I'm a bad girl for being like this, aren't I?" she asked hopelessly.

Yumiko's eyes brightened with interest. "Oh? There's another man? Who's this Kazuma guy? Does he go to our school? How long have you liked him?"

"Kazuma is the guy that stayed with her last night," Hana put in, feeling excited as well. It was girl talk. Real girl talk and she could actually be a part of it! "Are you sure nothing else happened last night? You turned pretty red when I asked you in class," she was speaking more and more and less and less quietly around the others. It seemed she was getting used to having friends.

"Nothing happened!" Usagi protested. "He just said thanks, that's all!" Luna walked up just then, having been looking for them.

"Usagi-chan slept most of the night. It's true. Nothing happened at all," she said, sitting and licking her paw. "Hello Yumiko. I am Luna." Usagi nearly pounced on Luna, eliciting a scared yowl from her.

"Thank you Luna!" she said, her face bright red as she held the cat close to her chest. Luna struggled free midst peals of laughter. Rin pet Luna gently as Luna tried to adjust herself.

"Anyways, that isn't what I had come here to talk to you about. I am here to talk to you about Artemis and Venus. As I thought, he's found her first, and he is sure that all of you are ready to meet up with her. So later on today, after school, we will be meeting up with Venus and Artemis." Luna smiled. "Don't worry, it won't take long. We just need to meet with them and set up a better time to meet and talk."

Yumiko blinked a few times, adjusting to the talking cat. "That's the last of the 'Inner Senshi isn't it?" she asked, looking to Usagi. "So... that means we find her and we're got a full team? No that's not right- there are others too right? Four others so there is one for each planet?" then added, "Well plus the moon and maybe minus the Earth since that's a weird Senshi."

Hana laughed nervously. "Sorry... I explained it the best I could..."

"No Hana dear, it's fine," Luna said with a smile. "Yumiko, in the past, there have been a string of Earth guardians and Senshi. Half the time, the Earth Star Seed has belonged to a male. These have been the guardians. Senshi can only be female, when the Earth Star Seed belongs to a female. With each new generation, we never know what gender will possess the new Earth Star Seed." Taking a breath and looking at Usagi, Luna continued on, looking back at Yumiko. "Most of the time, the Outer Senshi will stay unaware, but with this threat, I feel that they will be awakened to help." Shaking her head, Luna sighed. "This threat seems to be something that is a product of the future and the past. Time is warping spectacularly, and I do not know what will happen to this version of Earth..."

Yumiko nodded. "Sounds like we need to hurry and get the problem solved then," she stated. "So.. is that Moonlit Archer the Earth guardian then? Since he's been helping us and all?

"I don't think so," Usagi said, piping up. "There is something off about his aura, like he has half of a Seed. I'm not sure why. But I can't really tell who someone is by their aura is either. Not until they transform, or they specifically tell me." Luna nodded.

"And as I am, I am unable to tell as well. There is much that I cannot do. But for the moment, Usagi is the leader, and you all must work together. It is imperative that you work as a team, because if you fall apart, I think that the enemy will pick you off, one by one," she said. Usagi shivered, and Rin went over to her, giving her a sympathetic hug. Smiling at her, Usagi hugged Rin back, then pulled out her lunch to eat it.

The other two nodded their agreement, seeing no problem following Usagi, and joined her for lunch.


	6. Chapter 5

After school Yumiko was waiting with Rin at the gate. They all followed Luna to the meeting place. "What do you think Venus will be like?" Hana asked. "Since she's already been awakened before meeting up with us. Who knows, maybe she woke up before any of us did."

Someone was waiting in the shadows, but it was not Venus. Licking her blade of ice and grinning wickedly, Dark Mercury stayed hidden, waiting for the others. Rin and Usagi walked up, Luna draped over Usagi's shoulders. Stopping short, Usagi waved the others over to her, and Rin looked at her questioningly.

"I can sense something..." she whispered to the others. At that moment, Mercury stepped out of the shadows, her blade glinting in the light. "And that's it! Girls!" she exclaimed as Dark Mercury laughed, her low voice husky as she took another step forward.

"Moon Prism Power!"

"Mars Power!"

"Make Up!" the two finished shouting together. In an instant, Sailor Moon and Sailor Mars stood back to back, facing Dark Mercury.

"I don't know who you are, but I know you're in league with the others! In the name of the moon, I'll punish you!" Sailor Moon said, pointing at Dark Mercury.

"Mercury Power."

"Jupiter Power."

"Makeup!" the other two had also transformed at the same time. "Jupiter, Thunder!"

"Mercury bubble...BLAST!"

Using the blade, Dark Mercury just batted the attacks to the side. Sailor Moon took an astonished step back as Luna dashed off, trying to find Artemis and Venus.

"Oh my dears, you are so cute," Dark Mercury said, laughing again. Jumping forward, she made them scatter as she took a swing with her blade.

"Moon Tiara Boomerang!" Moon said at the same time Mars said, "Fire Soul!" The two attacks combined and shot straight at Dark Mercury. She hit it with her sword, shattering Moon's tiara.

"What?!" Sailor Moon gasped, and Mars had to hold her back, preventing her from going to gather the pieces. "No! I can't...!" At that instant, Dark Mercury bounded forward, almost disappearing with her speed.

"Hello my cuties," she giggled darkly and slashed at Mars. Mars went down, holding a deep cut, fearfully shoving Moon out of the way as she went.

Mercury dashed forward and tried physical assaults- having seen this girl wasn't effected by her power.

Jupiter ran to Mars. "Mars! Hold on okay?" She looked back up in time to see Mercury come sliding across the ground with a cry of pain. They were losing. Badly.

Dark Mercury advanced on Jupiter, leaving Moon for last. After slicing her sword across Jupiter's arm, Dark Mercury kicked her into the wall and turned to Sailor Moon. Trembling angrily and in terror, Moon stood straight, her hands raised in front of her, balled into fists.

"Stop hurting my friends!" she shouted. Just then, Venus ran up, followed by Artemis and Luna. The black and white cats were panting for breath while Venus didn't even seem winded.

"Oh? Another cutie..." Dark Mercury said with a giggle.

"Venus!" Moon said, her tone relieved. "Please help me! If you use your attack to distract her, maybe I can get her!" Dark Mercury was ignoring Moon, and thus missed the exchange. Instead of acknowledging Moon, Venus stalked towards Dark Mercury.

"Crescent Beam!" Her attack lanced out, but Dark Mercury reflected it back at her, kicked her away, and then turned back to Sailor Moon.

"No..." Moon whispered. She blinked as Mercury seemed to disappear, and then felt instant pain in her back. Coughing, her head tilting back slightly, she realized that Dark Mercury had stabbed her. Blood showed on her fingers as she covered her mouth. Falling to her knees, she saw out of the corner of her eyes that Dark Mercury was leaving.

"Usagi-chan!" Luna meowed piteously, dashing over to her. Artemis followed after making sure, briefly, that Venus was okay.

It was ridiculous. They had no IDEA how to work together yet. And Venus hadn't even seemed to care about her knew found teammates in the least. They were all going to die. Even if he interfered now- Moonlit Archer knew that they wouldn't last against two of the dark scouts- let alone a group of them. Hell, they couldn't stand against one. And so, he's stayed put, never letting his presence be known, watching the fight. He'd notched an arrow, but never fired it, even when Sailor Moon was stabbed. He waited, watching as Dark Mercury left.

"I'll need some help with this one," he whispered.

"You know I can't show up yet," answered a woman, leaning against the wall on the fire escape just below him. She wore a Senshi fuku, but it was designed differently from the other scouts, her colors being green and blue. "They aren't going to survive long enough for me to be able to help them at this rate."

"They won't get the chance to improve either. I don't have the power to save all of them by myself. Even if it's from a distance, you can help me heal them."

"Maybe we shouldn't bother."

Archer sighed. "Sadist."

"Masochist," she quipped back.

"I'll make sure they learn teamwork. So stop griping about it and just help out."

The girl sighed, and drew a dagger from its sheath. "Fine. I'll stay out of sight, but give you a hand in the mass healing." She jumped from the fire escape and landed easily on the ground, then waited.

Archer loosed his arrow, then another, and another, until he'd fired off ten arrows, all of them landing to form a circle around the scouts, and one to land near each of the girls. He then jumped to the ground and stood to be in the center of the fallen Senshi. Drawing another arrow he loosed it at his feet- this one going deep. Touching the end of the arrow, each of the other arrows began to glow, until they were as bright as a full moon. A green circle of was drawn on the ground- spreading from one arrow to the next, then from the circle went to connect to each scout. It took a few minutes but soon, the injuries of all the Senshi closed, healed completely- even injuries incurred from the day before were healed.

"It's up to you know Moonlit Archer," the Senshi whispered, pulling her dagger from the ground and disappearing into the shadows of the buildings.

Sailor Moon opened her eyes, looking around. Luna sat in her lap, her eyes shining.

"Usagi-chan, are you okay?!" she whispered frantically, needing to keep it like she cared whether the Moonlit Archer knew who Usagi was or not. Sailor Moon sat up straight when she saw the Moonlit Archer sitting in the middle of what seemed to be a drawn circle. He looked a tad worn out. Looking around, she realized that all her friends were just starting to get up as well. Biting her lip, Sailor Moon went to each of her friends first, making sure that they were okay.

"Mars? Jupiter? Mercury?" she asked softly, saying each name as she came to each girl. Mars nodded and accepted Moon's help into standing, and both moved on to Jupiter. Jupiter gasped and hugged Moon tightly, having seen her be stabbed, but then let go when Moon indicated that they had to move on to Mercury. Moonlit Archer watched as he tried to catch his breath. These four seemed to be trying to work together, not quite there yet, but almost. But Venus... He cast a veiled glance in her direction. Moon helped Mercury up and gave her a hug, thanking her for trying, and then turned to Venus, walking over and holding out a hand to help her up. "Venus?" she asked when the other girl slapped her hand away. The other three stood behind Moon, and Mercury took an angry step forward, stopping when Mars held her back with a simple touch.

"Why are you so familiar with me?" Venus asked angrily. "You're not that great. None of you are. I don't know why Artemis wants me to work with you." Standing up and flipping her disarrayed hair behind her, she stalked away. Sailor Moon looked downtrodden as she finally turned to Moonlit Archer. Walking slowly over to him, she knelt in front of him, looking at him.

"Thank you..." she said softly. A single tear streaked down her cheek as she knelt there. She didn't notice as she kept her eyes on the ground. "It means a lot that you help us out..."

He had glanced at her when she spoke to him, but his eyes were on Venus for the most part. She'd be out of sight in just a moment.

Quick as a flash he was standing, arrow notched and aimed, then fired. His arrow smashed into the wall of a building right in front of Venus' face. There had been a chord attached to the arrow he'd shot- when he'd attached it was anyone's guess. With a quick jerk of his bow the chord detached with a twist that made it spin around Venus. With another jerk of his bow she was pulled back to topple on the ground, her arms bound to her sides by the chord.

"Oh, you are not going anywhere yet," he told her quietly, darkly. He didn't look friendly as he usually did. He actually looked threatening- like someone you didn't want to cross.

Jupiter and Mercury just stared, shocked beyond words or action.

Sailor Moon looked up, startled. Venus had given a shriek of rage and was clawing at the chord, trying to get free.

"Artemis!" she shouted, but he merely sat by Luna, who was sitting next to Sailor Moon. She was rooted to the spot, trying to figure out what was going on. "You! What right do you have to do this to me?!" Venus shrieked. Mars looked at Jupiter and bit her lip, looking back at the scene on the ground. Standing, Sailor Moon started walking forward, and then went to Moonlit Archer.

"Stop! If she doesn't want to work with us, then fine! We'll manage on our own. She obviously doesn't like us..." Sailor Moon sobbed, looking up at him.

He sighed. 'I think I'm actually going to regret doing this,' he thought, unable to stop the apologetic look before he spun and kicked her feet out from under her. "Oh really? Like hell you don't," he snapped. "I could take on all five of you- and maybe you'd be lucky enough to make me break a sweat," he told her, his tone harsh and unyielding. "As for YOUR question." He shifted and with a pull- thanks to a bit of added strength from the Earth, sent Venus flying into a pile of trash. "I have the right because I'm the Guardian of Earth and right now Earth is screwed with the five of you to protect it," he snapped. "At least these four WANT to work together- but you- it would be better to not have you at all if you won't even try to work with them. Sailor Moon is the leader of the Senshi. She has ALWAYS been the leader of the Senshi- and I'll be damned if I let a spoiled brat try and get everyone on the planet killed because she doesn't want to accept that."

Sailor Moon let herself fall, hitting the ground and rolling so that she wouldn't get as much damage. She'd seen his look, but that didn't make the action and the words hurt any worse. Sitting there with her legs curled under her, she didn't watch the scene between Venus and Archer. Venus, on the other hand, looked shocked, then scared, then angry.

"And do you see her?!" she yelled. "She just sits there and cries!" Mars walked up and slapped Venus across the face.

"Sailor Moon is stronger than you could ever be!" she shouted. Venus gave her a shocked look, and silence descended. "She's organized us, found us with very little help from anyone but Luna. Her parents are missing, and her life seems to be the one targeted the most. So Miss Venus, I suggest you get it together." Sailor Moon looked up, brushing her hair out of her face, giving Mars a sad but grateful smile. "We've been trying to work together. We've even been practicing when we get a chance. Even though it's not much, we piece it together piece by piece. Sailor Moon is the one that keeps us going." Venus was calmer now, and she looked shaken, as if she was struggling with her own god-like image of herself in the back of her mind.

"Venus," Artemis said. Venus looked up. "I told you from the beginning that you would be working with Sailor Moon and her friends. I think that this time, I made a mistake in finding you first. Perhaps next time, I should wait to find Sailor Venus." Venus looked shocked and hurt, but then hung her head. Sailor Moon was looking down again, this time noticing the tears from her eyes streak down her face. She was sad and happy all at once, but she refused to show it to the others.

"I will stand by Sailor Moon until the day I die," Mars said. "And if you can't do that, then you might as well not even consider yourself a Senshi at all."

Mercury had gone to join Mars, and nodded her agreement.

Jupiter went to Moon, kneeling beside her, an arm around her shoulders. "She's right. Sailor Moon is always going to be our leader."

Archer watched the exchange, and felt horribly guilty at having made Sailor Moon cry, but it couldn't be helped. He crouched down in front of Sailor Moon, leaning in so he could whisper to her. "Your team is giving you a glowing recommendation. As a strong leader you shouldn't be taking it on the ground crying." He reached out and brushed away her tears. "Now stand up, and hold your head high to show this Venus girl you're not as weak as she wants to believe you are." He rose quickly, and then went to Venus. She seemed properly cowed now, so he didn't think farther intimidation would be needed. "Are you ready to play nice with your teammate now?" He drew a knife and cut her loose when she nodded her head mutely.

He looked back to Sailor Moon. "I'm sure you have been trying to improve your teamwork. But you all just about got killed by ONE Dark Scout. As it is now, you're all going to be killed if they decide to take you on, five to two. No. You can work on teamwork all you want- but without actual experience fighting together, you'll never be able to improve that much. Mass heals like the one I just performed aren't easy for me to do- so don't ever expect that I will do it again. And since I don't plan to do it again, you will all be training with me."

Sailor Moon looked up at everyone, then stood, her expression going from one of sadness to one of determination.

"Venus, I don't intend to boss you around. I'm not that type of person. But I do expect that you help us and work with us, like a true friend," she said. Venus looked up at everyone, and then stood herself.

"Very well." She held a hand out to Sailor Moon, and the white-blue haired Senshi took it happily, smiling at Venus. Suddenly, Sailor Moon gave her a hug, causing Venus to blink in surprise. "Ah. I don't know why, but I feel like I know you..." she said, and Sailor Moon put a finger to her lips.

"Later," she whispered, and then turned to Moonlit Archer. Her silver eyes had gone flinty, but she still treated him with respect. "For now, I think that training with you is our best option. We can't do much just flinging attacks at each other and figuring out what works best together as we have been doing. We need better experience." Mars noticed the flint in Moon's eyes, but didn't say anything. Venus noticed a slight stiffness in Moon's posture, but not really knowing the girl as Mars and the others did, she didn't really think anything of it.

Mercury also didn't know her well- so she didn't notice it quite as much as Jupiter did- who watched her friend with a worried expression.

Archer sure as heck noticed her posture and her flinty gaze. He met her eyes steadily, his mask hiding his eyes for the most part so it was hard to tell what he was thinking. "Thankfully we're about to have a break from school. Tomorrow is the last day with a week off. You will all be making a trip during that week. And you can find someone to cover for you if you're like Sailor Jupiter and have a kid to take care of," he added- cutting off her objection.

"H-How do you know I have-" Jupiter started- startled.

"I have my ways of getting information," he answered- again cutting her off. He looked to the rest of the scouts again. "Day after tomorrow, get on 9:45 bullet north. Get off at Shinjiko station. I'll have further directions for you all there," he didn't wait for an answer, just used his hook to pull himself up onto a building and vanished.

Jupiter watched after him. How could he have known about that?

"Guess this means you're down to one crush now?" Mercury asked, resting her hands on her hips as she looked at the rooftop he'd disappeared over.

"Yes. What he did to Venus, while it worked, was underhanded. I don't approve," Sailor Moon said. Looking at Venus, she smiled a little. "Sorry... I don't really know who he is, so I can't really ask him to do anything for me." Suddenly remembering that her tiara had shattered, she sighed. "I suppose I'm utterly useless now though... That dark Senshi shattered my tiara..." Suddenly, the moonlight shone down more brightly, and it seemed to focus on her forehead. Venus stepped away, startled, as Mars took a step forward, worried. A new tiara appeared on Sailor Moon's forehead, more ornate and beautiful than the last one.

"Wow..." Venus said, looking at it. "I wonder what kind of damage THAT one does..." She remembered, vaguely, what Sailor Moon's tiara had done before. Sailor Moon reached up and touched it, blinking in surprise.

"Well..." she whispered as she took it off and examined it. "That was interesting..." Shaking her head and putting the tiara back on, she turned to the group. "You guys all did rather well tonight, considering that that dark Senshi was stronger than the others." Mars frowned.

"Stronger? She seemed the same to me," she said. Sailor Moon surprised her by letting her transformation go. Invisible because of the darkness of the night, there were scrapes on her elbows and knees. She chose not to mention them.

"No, I could sense her aura. She was stronger, much stronger than the others. I can't remember the aura on the dark Senshi who looked like me. I hadn't fine-tuned that ability yet," Usagi said softly. "I'm sorry girls."

"No need to be sorry Usagi," Rin said, giving her a hug. Mei smiled, walking over.

"Not at all. Usagi, I can't believe that it was you! I knew I recognized you, but it's been a long time," she said. Usagi smiled at Mei, recognizing her finally.

"And I knew that there was some memory tugging at my mind, Mei," she said. She gave her a hug. "It's good to see you again. I thought that you had moved to China with your dad?" Mei nodded, her smile faltering a bit.

"Dad's not alive anymore, so I moved back here with Mum. But, I'm glad I came back. I am able to see you again." She shrugged. "And, believe it or not, I am willing to work with you guys. I just... I don't know what came over me tonight. It was as if I wasn't myself, you know?" Usagi nodded.

"Luna says it's something to do with the space-time continuum," she explained. Luna and Artemis walked over, Luna jumping onto Usagi's shoulders and Artemis jumping onto Mei's shoulders.

"So Usagi, care to introduce us?" Rin asked after a moment. Usagi smiled, looking at the others.

"Everyone, this is Mei. She is a friend from when we were in pre-school. Usually she's nice and sweet, I promise," she said, introducing Mei to the others. Mei curtsied, looking properly chastised.

"Again, I'm really sorry..." she apologized.

"That went well," commented the Senshi that had been with Archer as he entered his house as himself, Kazuma. She was also 'herself' now, wearing a blue tank-top and a gray shirt. "I saw that you roughed up the Senshi- not what I would have completely expected from you."

Kazuma groaned softly and flopped on couch beside her. "Shut up. I was tired and I wanted to get it over with quickly. Besides- I needed to show them that they're outmatched right now."

"True. Just not the gentlest method."

He scoffed. "Right, because you are just the gentlest girl in the world."

"Oh shut it," she quipped. "I'm saying that you are the gentle one usually. What you did was more like something I would do."

There was a knock at the door later that night, and it was for Hana. "OH! Karin! I didn't know you were back!" she exclaimed when the girl answered the door.

Karin smiled. "Yep. I'm back for break. Here to hold down the fort since Kazuma is planning to escape here for the week. Did you need him?"

Hana looked disheartened. "See... I have to leave town for the week too- for a group project... and I needed someone to watch Kyo while Mom's at work since I can't take him..."

"I'll watch him for you. I remember how important group projects were in middle school."

Hana beamed. "Really?!"

"Sure- why not? I like Kyo-kun. He's a sweet kid."

And so- the girls got through another day at school and met up at the station for the 9:45 train the following morning.

Usagi gave Hana, Rin, Yumiko, and Mei a happy hug, and they all got on the train together. Usagi sat in between Hana and Rin, Mei sitting across from them with Yumiko.

"This is kind of exciting, isn't it?" Usagi asked. She was wearing a dress that covered up her scrapes, and it wasn't out of season either. It was actually a tad chilly out, so Mei and Rin were wearing long sleeves and pants as well.

"I think it's a bit exciting. I'm nervous though..." Rin admitted. Mei smiled.

"I wouldn't be too nervous. We all are going to do fine I think," she said.

At the station a kid ran up to them. "Hey- you're Usagi right?" he asked, looking at her. "Here. I was asked to give this to you." he handed her a slip of paper.

-Good you made it. Eat something now- it'll be a while before you get the chance to have dinner. Once you have get on bus route 47 and off at the 10th stop. It'll be at the foot of mountain with stairs leading up to a temple. About half way up you will see a marked trail to the right. Follow that. I'll even be good enough to give you fair warning- be in your Senshi fuku when you start on that trail.

By the way- Sorry for the rough treatment of Sailor Moon and Venus last night. I've recovered enough now that if healing is needed for what I did I can offer it when you arrive.

-Moonlit Archer-

Usagi frowned in worry but shook her head, giving the little boy a sweet. He took it and happily ran off. Turning to the rest of them, she sighed.

"How does he know who I am, and none of you?" she asked. The worry that clouded her expression was obvious in her tone as she spoke.

"Maybe it's because he likes you?" Mei teased. Usagi glared at her.

"No man who would do that to you could have a heart," she answered hotly.

"Usagi-chan, don't be so quick to judge," Luna said softly. Rin smiled.

"Maybe it was to prove a point," she suggested. Usagi shook her head and turned, crossing her arms across her chest. She winced as the cloth of her dress rubbed against the scrapes on her elbows, but it wasn't visible as she was facing away.

"What do you want for lunch?" she asked finally. Mei pointed out a cute little cafe nearby, and they all went there.

Hana had been thinking back. "Luna called your name," she suddenly said as they were eating. Quickly she clarified. "I heard her call you Usagi-chan after we got healed. So... maybe that's how..." But it didn't explain how he knew she had a little brother to take care of..

"That might be it," Usagi mused as she finished her lunch. Sighing, she stood. Everyone had finished before her. Taking everyone's trash and throwing it away, she led the way to the bus station. "Oh well. We will figure it out later. Ready to train girls?"

They all nodded and got on the bus. At the tenth stop they got off and started up the mountain stairs. As promised the trail was clearly marked. He'd shot an arrow into the tree. The arrow was actually beautifully crafted with a white wood and green vine carved into it. The feathers were as red as a rose, and the notch was actually in the shape of a crescent moon.

"Guess we should get changed then..." Yumiko murmured.

Usagi nodded, pulling her broach out of her purse.

"Moon Prism Power!"

"Mars Power!"

"Venus Power!"

"Jupiter Power!"

"Mercury Power!"

"Make Up!" the five finished shouting together. Sailor Moon, Sailor Mars, and Sailor Venus all stood together.

"Sailor Moon!" Mars gasped, seeing the scrapes on her elbows and knees. "Are you okay?" Sailor Moon nodded.

"I tripped this morning, that's all," she said without batting an eye. She'd really gotten them from when Moonlit Archer had tripped her the night before, but she wasn't going to tell anyone that. "I'll be fine."

As they walked they were suddenly surrounded by a glow- four arrows- two on either side of the trail lit up as they had last night and the same green lines were drawn. It didn't connect to individual girls this time, but instead healed minor injuries of those inside the circle. Namely Usagi and Mei.

"So... does this mean that he's watching us?" Mercury asked, looking around.

There was no response from the forest around them, and after a moment the moved on.

They reached the edge of a clearing, about half a mile wide when suddenly someone entered Usagi's range of sensing. She didn't even have time to warn the others before arrows started raining down on them. You had to give Archer credit- he was a good aim, because even when they started moving he didn't hit anyone.

"Down!" Sailor Moon shouted, and everyone went to the ground. With frustration, she tried to seek out specifically where Archer was, but was unable to do so. The auras of everyone plus the greenery around them befuddled her senses, and, although she hadn't been able to confirm her suspicions with Luna yet, she was sure that Archer's aura was only half of a larger one. Shaking her head and instead concentrating on tactics, she made a motion to everyone to hide in the brush. If Archer was an Earth guardian as he said, then he would be able to find humans in the brush easily. But there was something that Moon wanted to try first. Getting everyone to circle around to her by not even moving her hands or calling out to them, but instead touching gently on their auras with her own, she felt accomplished. "Okay everyone, here's the problem. This is a forest, and I don't want stray attacks burning it to the ground." She directed this at Mars and Jupiter. "I know that you guys can control them, but until we have a lock on the target, I don't want to risk anything." Mars nodded, feeling that this was necessary.

"So what do we do?" she asked. Moon frowned, then snapped her fingers.

"I can ask you guys to do things by touching your auras with my own. Maybe I can figure out how to use that skill even better. It will help if we are all separated." Venus nodded.

"What next then Sailor Moon?" she asked. Using her aura, Sailor Moon described to the others, without using words or gestures, what they would have to do.

"I can barely feel him. But the closer we can get to him, the more I can feel him. Perhaps if we chased him to the center of a ring of us," Sailor Moon finished, and the others all nodded. Fine tuning her aura speak as the day went on, she got them all to work together, somewhat, and try to chase Moonlit Archer towards the center of the circle.

Archer waited. He knew where they were, but this teamwork training would be useless if he didn't let them plan. So he waited, eyes closed for them to start moving. It was pretty obvious to him almost right away that they planned to encircle him- with the way they were spreading out and all. He considered not letting them, but a boost in confidence wouldn't be bad. It was a decent plan- it was just that he could feel each and every one of them as they moved through his domain. He'd already set up a perimeter- a very large one- that increased his sensitivity for the area. Since he'd had a day longer than them to prepare the area- he was well prepared for them.

He let them get him encircled, but he chose the area very carefully. When he did finally let himself come into very he started launching arrows with great speed and accuracy- moving each of the girls to where he wanted them. Since they could attack him better, it took him a bit longer than he would have liked- over a minute. But soon enough each girl was where he wanted them and he shot off a final arrow directly over his head.

A chord shot up from the ground, lassoing each girl and then hanging them by their waists from the tree the chord was attached to.

"Not bad," he told him, leaning on his bow. "You did better than I expected for your first try."

"Well, I kind of expected that you would be better able to sense us than I was able to sense you, so I did the next best thing," Sailor Moon said, folding her arms. Venus laughed a little.

"I suppose it would have worked if he wasn't in his own domain," she said reassuringly. Mars nodded.

"Don't worry Sailor Moon. We're getting better at sensing what you want us to do!" she said excitedly. Sailor Moon allowed herself a smile.

"I'm glad that plan worked," she said finally. "I was worried I was getting a little ahead of myself in trying that." Venus shook her head.

"No, that was magnificent!"

Archer looked to each hanging girl as they spoke- but then he stopped at Venus- giving her a perplexed look. "Do you have split personalities? Because I could have sworn you were a b-" He stopped himself, seeming to reconsider his words but continued with such a brief pause one might have considered it simply a slight stutter. "-brat last time saw you."

"It's something to do with our enemies," Sailor Moon said with a glare. She'd known what he was about to say. "The space-time continuum is all screwed up. Certain things will happen to certain people. I, for example, was unable to be woken for a few hours one day. Jupiter-chan had to come and help me. For others, it might be their personality or something like that. I don't know why it affects people differently, but it does." Venus covered up a smile, but then looked at Moonlit Archer as well.

"Hey, this rope is cutting into my tummy. Maybe let us down?" she asked politely.

"Oh, right," he said, as if he's actually forgotten they were dangling. "Well, brace yourself." he told them, drawing his knife. He moved of a little ways and grabbed a very well-disguised rope and cut it, making all girls drop at the same time.

They had only been about five feet up- so catching themselves shouldn't be too hard- and if they didn't it wouldn't hurt... too badly.

Touching each girl with her aura, Sailor Moon instantly taught them how to hit the ground and roll so that they wouldn't take as much damage. Mars and Venus got it, doing the same thing that Moon did. Calmly picking herself up and brushing stray leaves off of her fuku, she looked at Moonlit Archer. Touching each girl's aura to make sure that they were okay, she nodded, but kept eye contact.

"It's getting dark. Is that all for the day?" she asked. Her tone was cordial, business-like.

He sighed. "Still upset about me dropping you huh?" he asked. He didn't seem inclined to answer her question just yet. "You don't plan on forgiving me of it either, do you?"

"Not dropping me, no," Sailor Moon said. "Even if Venus was being mean last night, that was no reason to treat her the way you did." With that, Sailor Moon stalked off, deftly avoiding traps that she could sense, and being careful around places that she couldn't trust. Letting her transformation go just before she got out to the main road, she finished hiking the short way to the hot springs. Sighing, she checked into the rooms that she and the girls had rented, and went to them. She undressed and let her hair down. It went to well past her knees, and was slightly wavy. She didn't want to get into the hot springs, so instead she took a quick shower. Luna was waiting for her as she stepped out, towel drying herself. "Luna, I have to talk to you about something," Usagi said as she dressed in the robes that were provided by the hot springs. Luna nodded and jumped into Usagi's outstretched arms. From the looks of the room, the others had come back already, and were enjoying the hot springs. Usagi looked worn out, something that she had not let on earlier. Communicating through auras was something that took practice, and while she was getting good at it, she was unable to keep up the energy needed for something like they had done that day.

"What is it Usagi?" Luna asked after they had been walking a bit. There was a quiet trail nearby that led to a lake, and she and Usagi were walking on it, Usagi holding Luna much like a little girl would hold a teddy bear.

"It's Moonlit Archer. Something is off about his aura. He said that he was an Earth guardian. But he doesn't have the right shine." Frowning, Usagi tried to phrase it in a way she could get Luna to understand. "It's like... He has half the shine that Yumiko or Hana or Rin or Mei does. I don't know." Stumbling, Usagi just leaned against a tree. "Luna, I think that he is either lying about who he is, or that there is more than him." Sighing, Usagi sat on the ground, holding Luna close and starting to doze off. "I'm not sure that I trust him..." Luna meowed at Usagi, but the girl was already asleep. Sighing and shaking her head, Luna lay curled up in Usagi's lap, keeping watch over her. As Usagi was mostly off the path, no one noticed the young girl sleeping, and the night grew slowly darker.

"Has anyone seen Usagi since we've come back?" Rin asked worriedly. It had been a few hours, and she had been okay to wait before, but now it was time to start looking.

"I haven't..." Mei said, having just come back from a walk along the trail. She hadn't seen Usagi sleeping off to the side either, as many other guests hadn't.

Kazuma had been out walking in the forest. Seemed he'd lost a good deal of shine in Sailor Moon's eyes as Moonlit Archer. Forget that he saved her and her friends a number of times- forget that he'd healed her a number of times. No- because he'd reacted 'harshly' to a girl that was endangering the world with her selfish acts, he was being seen as some sort of villain. And there was no point in arguing with her. She'd probably ignore any explanation he gave her.

He started to head back to the hotel when he felt something off the path. He knew that feeling. Carefully he approached, and found Usagi dead asleep against a tree. She was really pretty with her hair down like that. He crouched down, giving a slight wave to Luna. "So- you angry at me too?" he asked in a soft whisper so not to wake Usagi.

"We should split up, everyone has cells right? If you find her call," Yumiko said, already heading off.

Luna looked up at him, then shook his head.

"No. But I do agree that you were a tad harsh," Luna said. "I think that Usagi is just a bit more stressed than she'll let anyone know. Look. She's worn out just from practice today. Communicating through auras is hard work." Luna smiled at her. "But she is stronger than any Sailor Moon I've known throughout my years." Jumping off of Usagi's lap, Luna turned back to Kazuma. "I'll let you carry her back. I certainly can't. I'll go let the girls know that she is safe and that you've found her." With that, Luna bounded off, disappearing into the night. Heading off the girls as they began to exit the room, Luna meowed. Rin crouched down and listened to what Luna said.

"Hey, Luna says that Kazuma has found her," she said, looking at the others. "She says that she saw him find her and that he should be bringing her back in a few minutes." Mei breathed a sigh of relief, then frowned.

"Who's this Kazuma fellow?" she asked.

Usagi still slept after Luna had left, and the moonlight on her made her look even more like the princess that she was supposed to be. Her hair wasn't tangling in any of the leaves or sticks, nor was it picking up the dirt. It was like her hair held the same supernatural quality she did. Stirring slightly, she curled up even tighter as she rested against the tree, her hands gripping her robes tightly. A few tears shimmered on her cheeks; her dreams must have been bad.

"He's a childhood friend of mine," Hana answered. "RIn-chan and Usagi-chan met him at my brother's party."

'Perhaps but they were necessary,' Kazuma thought. When she started to cry, he hugged her gently, stroking that pretty hair of hers for a moment, before he picked her up as headed back for the hotel.

Hana and the others were waiting at the entrance. When they saw him and someone opened their mouth to call out he shook his head to silence them. "Where's her room so I can lay her down?" he asked in a whisper when he reached them.

Hana lead the way and lay out a futon for him.

Gently Kazuma lay Usagi down on the futon before slipping out of the room. "What's up with this Hana? Are you guys following me now?" he asked teasing.

"No! It's just a coincidence. We came up here for a group project," she told him.

'She's such a terrible liar,' he thought, but of course didn't comment. "Oh? Well Rin-chan I know, but who are the other two friends you've made?"

"I'm Yumiko, nice to finally meet you. I've heard all kinds of things about you," she told him with a grin.

"Nothing bad I hope."

"Nope," Mei said. "I'm Usagi's childhood friend. Only recently made it back from China with my Mum," she added when she saw Kazuma raise an eyebrow. "My dad died so I moved back here to live with my Mum." Rin giggled and nodded, giving Mei a hug.

"I'm her partner in the project. We're doing it on China, since she knows so much," she added. Mei grinned.

"Oh, it's not that much. But I'm glad I can get at least one good grade this year. That's what I get for moving back here halfway through the first quarter," she whined half-heartedly before falling into a fit of giggles. Luna and Artemis had wandered over to Usagi and were now curled up with her, watching the group. Rin looked closely at Kazuma, wondering why she felt like she'd seen him earlier that day.

"Anyhow. Kazuma, how did you find Usagi? And where?" she asked, really curious.

"Yeah, it's not like Usagi to wander off like that..." Hana added worriedly.

"Over by the lake. I was off trailing and heard a cat. Went to check it out and it was Luna. She's really quite the smart kitty," he added, glancing back at the cat. "Well- I guess I should be heading out. Don't want to hold you all up from finishing you're projects." He gave them a slight wave before heading off down the stairs.

"Hey Hana... how old is he?" Yumiko asked.

"A year older than us. He's in high school. A first year," Hana answered.

Usagi didn't stir until the next morning, and she sat up, rubbing at her eyes. Startled at finding herself in her bed, she sat straight up, nearly throwing Luna, who meowed indignantly.

"Oh, sorry Luna..." she said, petting the cat. Luna sighed, shaking her head.

"When I couldn't wake you up, because you were so exhausted, I meowed until someone came to help. Kazuma brought you back here," she said. Usagi nodded, slightly distracted. "Usagi-chan, what's wrong?" Luna asked.

"I had a dream last night... The world was dark, and I was gone. My friends weren't functioning together well... I wasn't there to help, and they fell apart..." Usagi said. Turning to Luna, she had a determined look on her face. "We need to get to the point where I don't have to direct them. The things that need done just happen." Luna nodded, glad that Usagi was actually taking this seriously. Not that she hadn't been before, but she was even more so now. Getting up and walking out, Usagi saw that a small breakfast had been brought for each of them: some rice and everything else that went into a simple breakfast. Her hair was still down, but she didn't really mind.

Hana and Rin came in, with Kazuma behind them. "We asked him to join us for breakfast," Rin announced, and then motioned for Kazuma to take a seat next to Usagi.

Kazuma gave a slight two fingered wave. "Yo," he greeted, then took a seat as directed- beside Usagi. "Morning. Glad to see you didn't catch cold sleeping outside last night."

Usagi nodded, absently picking at her food, still trying to get the bad dream out of her head. Mei came out of the rooms, yawning as she stretched, then went to sit on the other side of Usagi. Noticing that Usagi wasn't her usual cheerful self, Mei poked her in the side.

"Ack!" Usagi said, jumping. Looking around and realizing that everyone was there, she blushed slightly. "Oh, good morning..." she said, bowing her head slightly to the four of them. She'd yet to see Yumiko yet, but that was fine. At least they were all there. Luna twined herself about everyone's feet, and then meowed. Artemis merely remained where he was laying, on one of the arm chairs.

Kazuma watched her from the corner of his eye. She was really out of it. "So- Hana. What did you end up doing with Kyo?" he asked. Of course he already knew the answer- but he didn't say so. He wasn't supposed to know.

"Oh. Karin is taking care of him for me." she told him.

"Makes sense." He nodded. "He's going to be fat when you get him back though. Karin loves to spoil him."

Hana giggled softly. "She does doesn't she? I was surprised to see her."

He shrugged. "Apparently she and 'that witch' aren't getting along. Again."

Hana sighed. "I see."

"Morning," Yumiko greeted sleepily as she entered the room. She stopped, blinking a few times at Kazuma and then took a seat beside him- as it was the last open spot.

Usagi went back to picking at her food, eating it little by little, not wanting to waste it, then sighed and stood. Rin looked at her in surprise.

"I just need to clear my head," Usagi said. "I'll come back in time, I promise." She turned and walked out the door, her hair floating slightly on the breeze as she went. Luna meowed and started to follow, but then thought better of it, sitting on her haunches and looking at Kazuma before going to lay with Artemis.

"It looks like she wants you to follow Usagi-chan, Kazuma," Mei observed after a few moments.

Usagi was tugging on a handful of hair, not really hurting herself, just twirling it around on her fingers. It was a nervous habit, and most of the reason why she kept her hair up in buns most of the time. Sighing again and murmuring something to herself, she aimlessly wandered down the path she had taken the night before, not letting herself sit down for fear of falling asleep again.

Kazuma glanced around the room- all eyes were on him. He sighed and got to his feet. "Well if the lovey Luna demands it I guess I have no choice." He bowed to the cat playfully and then left to follow after the absent minded Usagi. He followed her for a while, then decided it was time to let her know he WAS following her. Of course he couldn't just call to her. That would be boring. So he gathered a bit of her hair and gave it a gentle tug. "You know you look rather stunning with your hair down Usagi-chan," he told her, waiting for her to turn around before giving it a light kiss.

"Oh!" Usagi gasped, startled into a slight jump when he tugged her hair. When she turned, her hair slipped from his fingers. "Oh, um, thank you," she stammered, quickly wiping away some stray tears. Some still sparkled on her cheeks in the sunlight. Letting go of her hair herself, sorely tempted to put it up in her usual buns, she looked at the ground. "Um, Kazuma, why exactly did you follow me?" she asked after a few moments. Her tone was confused as she tried to figure it out.

With a frown Kazuma considered her. She'd been crying about something it seemed. He wanted to cup her face and dry those tears, but doing so would probably be taken as too forward or too intimate by her. She already hated him as Moonlit Archer. He'd have a very hard time keeping her safe if she hated BOTH of him. So he kept his hands to himself for now and instead shook his head. "You're kidding right? You're a young, pretty girl. And you're walking out into the forest alone- looking completely defenseless. Not only is THAT dangerous, yesterday you ended up falling asleep out here. So- I'm following because otherwise you're putting yourself at risk," he told her.

"Oh." Usagi bit her lip, looking away. She sniffled, trying to keep back the flood of tears, but wasn't able to do so any longer. "Kazuma..." She swiftly crossed the space between them, and clung to him, sobbing in earnest. "I don't know what to do anymore..." Her entire body was trembling as she clung to him, and tears streaked down her face.


	7. Chapter 6

Taken aback... that might be the way to describe it... though it did feel like a bit of a weak explanation for how Kazuma felt when Usagi was suddenly sobbing against him. He wasn't entirely sure what to do. After a moment of wild and panicked thought, Kazuma held her tight, stroking her hair and softly hushing her. "It'll be alright Usagi," he told her, resting his cheek against the top of her head. It was surprising to him really, how much he hated seeing her so upset. Seeing her crying. 'If she knew I was Moonlit Archer she'd probably cry even more- since she seems to trust me as Kazuma...' he thought. He'd been thinking about showing the girls who he was at some point during the week. Now he strongly decided against it. She'd never trust him again if he did that. And he didn't want it. He wasn't oblivious, or emotionally stupid. He liked her, and he knew it. He just wasn't entirely sure how MUCH he liked her yet. "Is there anything I can do to help?" he asked.

After crying herself dry, Usagi sniffled, but stayed where she was. She liked it when he held her.

"It's just what's happening to me right now... There is this guy who's been helping me and my friends out, but from what I have been able to learn from him, I'm not entirely sure that I can trust him, but I want to very badly. He has been so helpful... And my friends... I worry that if for some reason, I'm gone, or taken away, like my parents, they won't know what to do..." Usagi said hoarsely. She rested her forehead on Kazuma's chest. "And this place... I don't understand completely why, but it makes my heart hurt... I can feel pain and extreme sadness here... It is affecting me... Making all of my worries worse..." She sighed, wanting nothing more than for the moment to last. "But I need to stay here. I want to get stronger. I want my friends to get stronger. If I leave, they leave. I want to trust this guy, because he is very important to what is going on." Usagi looked up at Kazuma at last. "I'm sorry... I shouldn't unload my problems on you..." she said softly. Her silver eyes were darker from the emotion, but she wasn't aware of it. Her cheeks were flushed from the emotion as well, and she raised a robe covered hand to wipe her face, getting rid of the tears. Hiding her face against his chest again, she took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down.

Kazuma listened- trying to figure out if he should question her words to avoid suspicion or if he could just leave it alone- since he did know what was really going on. And she looked up at him... and she was just so damn cute... and... it was a good thing she'd looked back down and hid her face when she did- because he'd been moments away from kissing her. Looking up at the sky he took a deep breath, trying to calm his own reactions to her. It was odd really- like somehow she just... MEANT so much to him. He'd always had a specific list of ideals for girls, and hadn't really found many that meet even half of them at once. But Usagi- well she was the ideal. She had idealistic qualities he hadn't even thought WERE ideal until he met her. No- right now he needed to stop thinking about that and give her the advice she wanted from him; that she needed from him.

"I...I'm not sure what exactly you're talking about Usagi," he lied in a whisper. "But... this guy... if you're first instinct is to trust him, and your mind makes you question it... you should follow instinct. Our heads always try to mess up what our instincts tell us... and you have good instincts. Instincts that should be listened to. You also shouldn't hold the weight of the world on your shoulders alone. I'm sure that whatever the stress you're under right now, there are people that would happily share it with you. You just have to trust them." He was silent a moment. "Maybe... if you have trouble trusting this guy you're talking about- you should try talking to him, ask him questions and see what his answers are. See if he seems to be lying to you."

Usagi was still for a moment.

"That does make sense," she said slowly. "So much has been going on that I guess I didn't think of it that way..." A woman passed by them as they stood just off the path, and Usagi saw blond-black hair, felt a sinister aura. In that instant, the woman saw her and Usagi pushed Kazuma away. Something shot between the two, and Usagi whirled, facing Kazuma, her face set and determined. "Kazuma, please, go get somewhere safe!" she pleaded. It wasn't a command, merely a forceful plea. After making sure that he had left, Usagi pulled her broach out of her pocket. "Moon Prism Power, Make Up!" In an instant, she was in the garb of Sailor Moon, and because her hair had been down, it remained down after the transformation. As it fell about her, a sort of halo, she realized that it was the same blond woman that she and Jupiter had encountered alone. "You!" she gasped. The woman smiled evilly, and started to stalk towards Sailor Moon. Closing her eyes for a few seconds, Sailor Moon sent out a frantic call to the others. She feared that they wouldn't get there in time, this location being further down the trail than she had remembered. Those few seconds cost her, as Dark Moon shouldered her back. Thudding into a tree, Sailor Moon winced as Dark Moon's hand closed around her neck. "Moonlight Reflection!" she gasped out, and a light emitted from her tiara, blinding Dark Moon, making the older woman stagger back. Jumping to a different place than she was before, Sailor Moon tried to confuse Dark Moon, but no such luck.

"Very well." Dark Moon's voice was husky, low, as if she had been crying. "If you want to fight and die painfully, then so be it." Holding her hand up, a spinning disk of deep red light appeared. Sailor Moon started backing up, eyeing that disk warily. When Dark Moon tossed the disc, Sailor Moon ran, trying to escape it. It caught up with her anyways. Catching her in the back and then looping around her, almost like a lasso, it began to emit strong electrical charges. Screaming in pain, Sailor Moon went limp, her hair falling across her face. The charges had shot her ability to control her muscles, and this was how Dark Moon found her. Snickering darkly, Dark Moon pulled on the dark red circle of light, making it bite into Sailor Moon's skin. Sailor Moon screamed again, the pain even more acute than the electric charges.

Rin sat up, feeling the tug on her aura, a mental scream for help. Looking around, she saw that the others had felt it to.

"Come on girls," Mei said, standing. "We need to help Usagi-chan, and make sure that Kazuma is okay. I'm positive that Usagi-chan would have shoved him somewhere safe before transforming and calling us." Rin nodded and took out her pen.

"Mars Power, Make Up!" she shouted, and soon was in the garb of Sailor Mars.

"Venus Power, Make Up!" Mei called, and she too was instantly garbed as Sailor Venus. "Let's hurry! Sailor Moon felt like she was far away."

'Damn it! I should have just let her know who I was!' Kazma thought, grabbing the rose pendant he wore on a long chain. He transformed into Moonlit Archer and made his way back to where he'd left Usagi as fast as he could, but he'd taken to long, she was already hurt and he was furious with himself for actually trying to keep hiding who he was from her. He shot an arrow, aiming for Dark Moon's head, then instantly fired off three more- all aimed to drive her away from Sailor Moon.

Dark Moon lost her focus and the disk and it disappeared, allowing Sailor Moon to hit the ground. Avoiding the arrows, she jumped away from Sailor Moon.

"How dare you try to drive your true Sailor Moon away?" she shrieked. Behind her, Sailor Moon was getting to her feet. A crystalline rose appeared in Dark Moon's hand, a dark, deep red. Sailor Moon saw it, and somehow knew that this was wrong, so very wrong.

"Don't hurt him!" she shouted as Dark Moon looked like she was about to hurt Moonlit Archer. "Don't you dare!" A tear fell, sparkled, turning into a small crystal. Startled, Sailor Moon held her hand out, catching the silvery crystal. Instinctively knowing what to do, she held her hand out, showing the crystal. A white light seemed to emit from it as her entire form shimmered. A white dress with silver moons on it, tinged slightly blue replaced her Senshi fuku. A silver moon shone on her forehead as her white-blue hair waved slightly on the breeze the transformation caused. Her face was determined, and her wounds healed as she stood tall. "You can't hurt him! I know him, and I like him!" Dark Moon turned tail and ran, knowing that she wouldn't defeat Sailor Moon as she was at the moment. Sailor Moon took a step forward, the beautiful dress and the silver moon disappearing as she did. "Kazuma..." she whispered, looking straight at Moonlit Archer before she collapsed, completely worn out.

"Usagi!" He caught her as she fell, kneeling on the ground, cradling her. His heart was hammering as he held onto her. That been singularly unexpected. 'Did she know it was me.. Or was she asking about me?' he wondered. He'd have to wait till she was rested again before he found out. If she knew, he figured next time he saw her she'd tell him.

Hearing the approach of the other scouts, he scooped Usagi up, and then leaned her against a tree gently. He brushed a bit of her hair from her pale face before standing and disappearing into the trees.

"Usagi!" Jupiter saw her first and rushed to her friend. "Usagi are you alright? What happened?" Sailor Jupiter asked kneeling beside her.

Sailor Mars and Sailor Venus crowded close to Sailor Moon as well, Sailor Mercury with them.

"Dark Moon... But somehow I got her to run off..." Sailor Moon said softly. Her cheeks were flushed as she remembered how close Kazuma had held her, both before the attack and after, when she'd fallen. Her hair curled about her face, and she sighed, shaking it away. Letting her transformation fall, Usagi looked up at her friends. "I'm so tired girls... Can we go back to the hotel?" she asked. Rin nodded, having let her transformation fall as well.

"Here," she said, picking Usagi up. Usagi smiled and tried to make herself as light as she could as Rin carried her back to the hotel, the others following. "I wonder how we'll let the Moonlit Archer know that Sailor Moon can't train today?" she mused. Mei frowned.

"Maybe we shouldn't train without Usagi-chan..." she said. Usagi shook her head as Rin started to agree.

"You guys should train to work together without me. There's a chance that the enemy will see me as the ultimate threat and take me. You won't have me if they do that," she said. "You HAVE to train without me. If I'm not there to help you and you fall apart, whose fault is that? Mine. Go train!" Mei gave Usagi a startled expression, but then smiled.

"I think that is a good idea actually. Usagi is right. If one of us isn't there, especially the leader, how are we supposed to function if we've only trained one way?" she asked the others. Usagi smiled at her gratefully as Rin agreed as well.

"That is true," she said. Looking at Hana, she raised an eyebrow. "What do you think?" They were getting closer to the hotel now, and Usagi was looking forward to lying on the couch and just resting. Whatever had happened had really worn her out. In her hand, she clutched the silvery crystal that had appeared in her tear. She wasn't sure why, but she felt that it would keep the girls safer to not tell them about it.

Hana nodded. "Maybe we can get Kazuma to stay with Usagi-chan while we go ou-WAIT! Usagi-chan! Kazuma! Kazuma went after you! Is he okay?" she asked, sounding slightly panicked.

"He's fine Hana," Usagi said sleepily. "And don't worry. I'll have Luna and Artemis with me. Kazuma doesn't have to come over and babysit me. I'm only going to be resting." She smiled and shook her head when Mei started to protest worriedly. "I promise, I'll stay in the room." They got the the room then, and Rin lay her on the couch. Usagi smiled when Luna jumped up on her and licked her cheek before settling on Usagi's stomach. "You girls go on," she said. "Train and make me proud." She smiled as Rin and Mei followed the others out. Once she was sure that they were gone, she looked at Luna and held her hand open. "Luna, this appeared out of my tears." Luna gave an astonished meow.

"Usagi, this is very very important. You need to keep it close to you at all times." Jumping up into the air and doing a little loop, she made a crescent moon wand appear. It dropped into Usagi's lap. "Put the crystal there," she said, pointing at the spot where the crystal would go. Nodding, Usagi did as she was told, then got up and went to her room, tucking the wand into her bag.

"There. It's safe there for now. Nothing is going to happen while I'm here and the girls are out training," she said, and Luna nodded.

"I don't sense anyone nearby either," she said.

"That either means I'm getting very good at hiding my aura from you- or you are far too tired to really notice," came a voice from the balcony. There sat Moonlit Archer, sitting on the railing, one leg propped up, resting his arm on the knee while the other dangled. His bow was at his back, but he would be able to get it within a second should he need it. "You recover quickly. Since you couldn't move earlier I thought perhaps you wouldn't be able to for a while. Looks like I might be able to expect you for practice tomorrow after all." He paused a second then added. "Good call by the way- on having everyone else meet me without you. They work well through you. It'll do them good to learn to manage without you."

Usagi gasped, turning and seeing him, then went over and hugged him.

"Kazuma, thank you..." she said softly. Luna blinked in surprise, looking at Archer, then at Usagi. "I'm sorry..." She looked up at him, her silver eyes wide as she did. "I should have relied on my instincts better, like you said earlier..."

He twitched slightly when she hugged him, and sighed when she called him by name. "All this time and suddenly you just know it is me," he muttered, pulling the mask away from his eyes. "Since you already know I'll probably show the other girls before much longer." He gently pushed her away. It was hard to be 'good' when she was hugging him like that- especially since he still wanted to kiss her. "Gotta say, it was weird giving you cryptic advice about myself." After a moment's silence he added. "I am sorry that I was rough with you and your friend. She was irritating me, and you both needed to be shown that you were wrong. I know you don't approve of my method but it was the quickest way. And I will do whatever I have to to keep the Earth safe," he explained, also giving her a warning.

"So will I!" Usagi said indignantly. "And as for how long it took, it was because I was still trying to puzzle out your aura. It's very hard to place, like you're only half of a whole..." She frowned, then shook her head. Suddenly realizing that she'd been pushed away, she looked at him reproachfully. "I wasn't done hugging you Kazuma." Smiling suddenly, she instead stood on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek. "Go train. I'll be here when you guys are done."

He was thrown off guard by that and nearly fell off the railing when he suddenly jerked back from her. With a furrowed brow and a frown- as well as a very faint blush- he stood. "You shouldn't do that Usagi-chan," he told her. "Otherwise I might not be able to keep playing a nice guy." With that he jumped off the railing and with a backwards flip, landed in a tree. He'd replaced his mask mid jump and then headed off to find the girls.

"We're here and he's not... do you think something happened?" Mercury asked, leaning against a tree, boredly inspecting her fingers. They'd already been waiting for an hour and nothing had happened yet.

Usagi frowned in puzzlement, but then smiled. Shrugging, she went back to lay on the couch.

"You know what Luna, I rather like him," she said softly as she drifted off into sleep. "Maybe even more than that..." She yawned and then fully fell asleep, curling up on the couch and smiling as she slept.

"Well, he might have gone to check up on Usagi-chan," Venus said with a shrug. "He seemed rather focused on her yesterday." Mars sighed, leaning against a tree, then standing.

"Well, we can't let Usagi-chan down! Even if he isn't here, maybe he's just doing this as a test. We should be on guard," she said, crouching low and looking around, her eyes shifting from shadow to shadow, inspecting each carefully.

'It's about time someone pointed that out,' Archer thought and then set about making his trap. Mercury was the most off guard and so he took her out first. She was hit by a pellet that splattered red right over her heart. "You turn red in a kill area and you're not permitted to fight anymore," he called, and shot off another. By now the girls were moving, and he took it easy on them, missing from time to time on purpose. They were getting the idea of how to work without Usagi by the time he took out the last two girls- Venus and Jupiter.

"Ready for round two?" he asked, dropping out of the trees so they could get a good look at him before he went off to hid again.

Mars looked at the others. They were all slightly out of breath, and there were red spots all over them.

"Ready," she said when she got a nod from the others. From the good look she'd gotten at Moonlit Archer, she couldn't shake the feeling that she knew him from somewhere. Shrugging, she made a gesture with her hands that signified that the girls should follow Venus, she having the better tactics. Venus nodded and took over, telling them with slight hand gestures to hide and wait for the signal. It wasn't yet dark, but slowly growing ever closer to dusk.

Usagi woke up towards dusk, feeling refreshed and happy. Luna and Artemis were nowhere to be found, so Usagi stood and walked over to the balcony, intent on watching the sunset.

"The Princess is waking up," Luna said softly. She was referring to the fact that Usagi had received the Silver Crystal from her tear. "This should not have happened so soon..." Artemis shook his head.

"We might have to tell them the rest of the truth soon, my love," he responded, and Luna nodded.

"I fear for what might happen when they know..." she whispered worriedly, laying down. Artemis lay with her, unsure of what he could do to help her feel better.

They had gone through three rounds by then, and each time they got better- but he would just switch tactics on them. 'I'm actually pretty glad Father insisted I learn tactical operations,' Archer thought as he managed to slip out of a very well placed trap by the girls at the last second.

He managed to strike the last Senshi before calling it a day. "Go back. Rest, relax, whatever," he told them. "You're getting pretty good at this. We might be able to get what needs to be accomplished before the week is up."

"Yay!" Venus cheered. "This is awesome!" She turned to the other girls, give them each a hug. "Let's go tell Usagi-chan how proud we've made her." She giggled as Mars enthusiastically hugged her back, then started to lead the way back to the hotel.

"I hope Usagi is feeling better," she said, turning and looking at the others before turning around again. Just before the got to the road, they stopped and let their transformations drop. "She seemed really worn out this morning."

Archer had hurried so he could get back to the hotel first. He perched himself on the balcony again, but since Usagi was already out he didn't have to call to her. Sitting on the railing he dropped his transformation. "I'm going to keep it from the girls for just a bit longer who I am, if you don't mind. I don't want it getting them distracted while they train- especially Hana, since she knows me best," he told her, watching Usagi from the corner of his eye. Her hair was still down... he liked her hair down. It was cute in the buns and all... but she looked downright hot when it was down.

Usagi turned and smiled at him.

"I think that's a good idea," she said. "Hana seems really attached to you." Biting her lip, Usagi turned and watched as the sun finally began to go down. The golden glow highlighted her features and made her seem to glow herself. Turning to Kazuma again, smiling a bit. "The sunset is beautiful up here. There's no artificial light to spoil it." For an instant, her form shimmered, and she looked like the Princess she had appeared to be earlier that morning. Stray wisps of hair swirled in a gentle breeze as she looked at him. "I enjoy being with you Kazuma," she admitted softly.

Kazuma groaned, leaning back his head to stair up at the roof that hung over the balcony they were on. She was doing it on purpose. She HAD to be doing this to him on purpose. 'I swear to god if this is some sort of test of character- this keeps up and I will just end up failing,' he thought darkly. He considered his options. It might be better if he just kept a distance from her or something. But he didn't really want to- and he didn't want her thinking he was avoiding her because of her or something.

"You okay?" Usagi asked worriedly. Seeing a bit of blood on his arm, she gasped. Hurrying inside for the first aid kit that the hotel supplied, she came back out to the balcony and went over to him, taking out the disinfectant and starting to clean the wound. "You took care of me when Dark Mars attacked, so now it's my turn to take care of you." She smiled to herself as she worked, and soon finished, bandaging the cut. "There!" Going to put away the kit, she came back out to the balcony, enjoying the breeze and the sunset. Beaming at him, she felt quite proud of herself. "I decided to look up some stuff before we came up here, since I figured we would be getting minor cuts and bruises. I thought it would be useless to waste Moonlit Archer's energy on stuff like that every day." The explanation really said something about the thought she put into everything for her friends and for the people she wanted to protect. She was selfless, barely even thinking of herself when it came to the safety of others.

He'd withstood the first aide, focusing on the realization that he'd been injured to keep his mind off HER. And then she went and said that- looking so damn sweet- Kazuma growled something under his breath again and then reached out, grabbing Usagi's arm and pulling her to him. He was still sitting on the balcony, so the moment her body hit his leg, his other hand caught the back of her neck, forcing her to look up at him. He then leaned down and kissed her before she could so much as utter a single word of question. He held her there for a few seconds before releasing her arm and her neck. He was blushing a bit but otherwise looked defiant. "I warned you," he told her in a husky tone before spinning himself around on the railing and jumping to the ground. He landed easily and then pocketed his hands, walking off into the forest to cool his head before he did something else stupid.

Usagi's eyes were wide as he pulled her close, but they closed and she started to lean into the kiss. All too soon, it was over, and Kazuma was gone. Blinking, smoothing her hair nervously, Usagi went and sat on the couch again. She'd liked the kiss. And, although she was afraid to admit it to herself, she was finding that she more than liked Kazuma. Blushing as she touched her fingertips to her lips, she smiled and started humming quietly to herself, trying to figure out if the girls would let her go for a walk that night. She wanted to go find Kazuma. It was at that moment that the girls got back, and they looked at Usagi in confusion.

"Um... Usagi-chan?" Mei asked, thoroughly confused. She'd not ever seen Usagi this happy before. "What happened?" Usagi looked up at them, and saw little cuts and bruises all over them. All thoughts of her own happiness flew out of her head as she got up, bustling them onto the couch and starting to take care of the minor wounds.

"Usagi, what happened?" Rin asked, impatient as she waited for the answer. Usagi looked up, absent-minded as she concentrated on fixing Hana up. She was the last of the four that she had been working on.

"Hm? Oh, nothing," Usagi said, her tone light and airy. Rin raised an eyebrow at Hana while Mei watched Usagi go to her bags and pull out a brush and proceed to brush her long hair.

"Really? Nothing?" Mei asked after a few moments.

Hana just shook her head. She didn't believe it either, but what could they do?

"Does this have anything to do with a boy perhaps?" Yumiko guessed. She was the most experienced with love and dating from the group. She knew the glow of a girl who'd had something good with a boy happen when she saw it. "Perhaps- that Kazuma hottie?"

Usagi blushed brightly, putting her brush down as she folded her hands in her lap and looked down as well.

"Yeah..." she whispered. Looking up, she looked at the group around her. "But I didn't want to say anything... Hana, you seem so close to him, and I didn't want to hurt you!" she explained hastily. "And he kinda left to go on a walk, and I didn't want anyone to go bother him..." It was obvious that she was trying to think of everyone before herself, ignoring what she herself wanted.

There were a few sighs from the group. And to everyone's shock it was Hana that stood up. She walked over to Usagi and lightly rapped her knuckles on the top of her head. "Kazuma is more like a big brother to me than anything! So stop worrying about everyone else and go! You have something you want to say to him don't you?" she asked, pointing to the door, one hand on her hip.

Usagi winced, but looked up at Hana, then nodded and jumped up, grinning. She gave Hana a hug.

"Thank you!" she said happily, then ran out the door and into the forest. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and reached out, searching for Kazuma. She faintly felt him further ahead, and hurried down the path. She'd intended to put her hair back up, but in her excitement, had left it down. It streamed behind her as she ran, and soon she found him. "Kazuma!" she gasped, slightly out of breath. Her eyes were wide as she looked at him, her hair now floating about her as she came to a stop. "Kazuma, I have something to say to you, please don't go away." Having caught her breath, her tone was firm and pleading all at once, her voice strong as she spoke to him.

Kazuma was leaned up against a tree, hands still in his pockets. He was looking down at a creek to his right. "I felt you coming a while ago. If I was going to leave I would have by now." He glanced over at her, then away again quickly. "If you plan to try and tell me off for kissing you I'm not going to. Especially not when you kissed me back," he told her, sounding almost sulky.

"You lied to her Hana," Yumiko pointed out after she was sure Usagi was gone.

Hana sighed. "Only a little. I may have had a crush on Kazuma, but he'll never see me as anything more than a sister."

"I wasn't going to. In fact, I enjoyed the kiss," Usagi said pointedly, walking right up to him and looking him in the eyes. "I was going to tell you that I..." Usagi paused, blushing brightly. She blinked and shook her head, looking down, looking very very shy. Taking a deep breath and steeling herself, she looked up again. "I love you Kazuma." Her face got, if possible, even brighter red. Scuffing her foot against the ground, she looked to the side, feeling incredibly shy. She hadn't realized it until he kissed her, but it was there, a warmth in her chest that wouldn't die.

Rin gave Hana a hug, tight and friendly.

"You did an amazing thing Hana-chan..." Mei said softly. Rin looked at her, hearing a note of awe in her voice. "I've never known Usagi-chan to go after anything for herself. She always thought of others before herself, and she would run herself into the ground for us, I know it. You've done something that I would never have been able to do for Usagi-chan..." Mei's eyes were full of tears. "In fact, the reason why we fell out of touch after I moved to China was because I didn't do anything for her in return, and I'd felt guilty because of it..."

Hana gave a shy smile. "Usagi-chan is the first real friend I've had in a very long time- other than Kazuma and Karin... so... it's really not that big a deal or anything..."

Kazuma didn't answer. In fact he didn't even look at her once she started to talk. He was, however, blushing a little bit himself. That was... convenient... he was expecting to get told off. And since he'd kissed her without permission he'd stayed put to take it. Even if she had returned the kiss. Her confessing was... well...nice.

Finally he looked at her. Her hair was still down... he sighed and with a swift movement caught her about the waist and pulled her against him. "Seriously- I can't even try to think straight with your hair down," he muttered before kissing her again, slowly this time since he wasn't as worried she'd push him away- and possibly off a deck.

Usagi closed her eyes, leaning against Kazuma as she kissed him back, enjoying the moment. A few moments later, the kiss broke, and she looked up at him, flushed and breathless.

"Kazuma..." His name felt good on her lips, and she smiled, looking even more happy than she had been earlier that day when she'd been talking to him about the sunset.


	8. Chapter 7

Mei smiled and wiped her tears away.

"I think Usagi-chan was my first real friend too. I'm so thankful for her..." she said. Rin nodded, still holding Hana in a tight hug.

"I never really had any friends because of my work in the shrine." She shrugged. "I never saw need. But now that I'm friends with Usagi, I'm so glad because I've met many more friends because of her!" She smiled, letting go of Hana after a few more seconds.

Kazuma was feeling a bit breathless as well- which was sort of new. He'd kissed plenty of girls before... he'd had plenty of girlfriends before- but kissing Usagi had him feel giddy and lightheaded like he'd never felt before.

He hugged her, leaning down so his face was buried in her hair at the crook of her neck. With a sigh he brushed his lips against her neck. "I love you too," he whispered. He was sure he could say that now. He did love her- he just hadn't LOVED a girl before to know for sure that was what it was. But what else could it be?

A happy shiver went up Usagi's spine as she heard those words, felt his lips on her neck. Happy tears sprung into her eyes. She didn't recall ever feeling this happy before. It was a new and alien feeling, but it was pleasant. Her stomach was all a flutter as she let Kazuma hold her, and she found that she enjoyed it even more now than she had before.

Luna and Artemis walked into the room side by side, in step with each other. Sitting down and curling their tails about their feet, the looked at the girls. Slowly the four quieted, sensing that something serious was about to happen.

"Girls, there is something important that you have to be told girls," Artemis said, then looked at Luna. She would be the one telling them.

"Usagi is the Moon Princess, Princess Serenity." Waiting for the impact of her words to sink in, she continued on after a few silent moments. "You four are Princesses of the Moon Kingdom as well, though not as far up in the hierarchy as she is. You are all equally important to the Moon Kingdom. You four are her guardians. You are to keep her safe." Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Luna continued on. "I have spoken with Moonlit Archer as well, and he has promised to keep Usagi safe too." A shocked silence followed this comment, but Luna plowed on. "Long ago, when you five were infants, the Moon Queen, Queen Clarity, sent you down to Earth to protect your lives. Your mothers were all heartbroken, Queen Clarity just as heartbroken to let her daughter go. The parents you know here on Earth are your foster parents, parents entrusted to keep your secret and only tell you at the moment of awakening, your coming of age." Artemis took over from there, Luna having a difficult time trying to speak without crying, not enjoying telling these four girls the truth about themselves.

"But because of this threat, you have been awakened as Senshi before you should have, and now, Usagi is awakening as a Princess. She is not sure of what is going on, as it is a slow and painful process for her, and most of what happens is forgotten as she is worn out instantly after."

"So that's what happened this morning..." Mei whispered, shocked. Artemis nodded.

"You four MUST protect her at all costs. If she falls..." He trailed off, not wanting to outline the consequences. They would be dire.

Hana stared at the two cats and then slumped to the floor. "So... then... my- my little brother... I was there when he was born... you mean... I'm not even related to him?" She sounded like she was trying very hard not to cry.

Yumiko didn't seem surprised at all to find this out, but she kept whatever she thoughts were completely to herself. 'Though to find out we're actually like- warrior princesses is a bit of a shock...'

Finally, regretfully, Kazuma let Usagi go. "You should get back to the inn. The girls were very excited to tell you how well they did in training today," he told her softly, brushing a bit of hair from her face.

Usagi quickly wiped her tears away, not wanting to upset him.

"They already told me," she said. She smiled. "I'm so proud of them." She nuzzled against Kazuma again. "I don't want to go back yet..." She sighed and looked up at him. "I've never been this happy before Kazuma... I don't remember ever being this happy before..." She blushed. "My heart is pounding and my stomach is in knots, but I feel warm inside because of you."

Rin, still sitting beside Hana, gave her a hug. She was trying hard not to cry too, having felt very attached to the shrine that she lived at her entire life.

"But..." Mei whispered. "Dad... Mum... It hurt when Dad died..."

"We never intended for you to be awakened this way," Luna said sadly. "We intended to bring you and your foster families to the moon so that you would have time to adjust... But it just didn't happen." She closed her eyes and looked down and away. "I'm so sorry girls..." She choked back a sob, unable to keep from crying anymore. Artemis was by her side, and he nuzzled her, licking her forehead in an attempt to comfort her.

Kazuma sighed, hugging her again. "You know Usagi, I am a guy. You really shouldn't tell me something like that. There could be dire consequences." 'Especially when you're turning me on so much with this cuddly thing and your hair down,' he added silently to himself.

"I know," Usagi whispered. She smiled, reaching up and kissing him. "I can't help it though." She blushed, and after a few moments, finally extricated herself from him. "I suppose you're right though... I should go back before they start to worry... I mean, they knew I was coming to talk to you, but still..." Usagi blushed. "I don't want them to think that there was an attack or something..." She looked back at Kazuma. "Do you want to come with me?" she asked.

Luna finally got herself together, and she went around to each of the girls, rubbing her face against theirs.

"I will tell Usagi-chan when she is alone. I don't know how she will bear up under the stress," Luna finally said. She wasn't entirely sure how Usagi would react, and that is the reason why she was still keeping the secret. She'd told the queen that this was a bad idea, but Clarity hadn't listened. Sighing, she knew that it couldn't be fixed, not now.

He considered. "I'll walk back with you at least- to make sure you get there safely," he told her, taking her hand as he passed her. "So... I guess I should ask- just so things are clear," he commented when they'd been walking in silence for a few minutes. "Do you want to go out with me? I mean... as my girlfriend," he further clarified just to be safe.

Usagi happily followed him, her hand in his. When he asked the question, she nearly stopped, but kept going, covering it up as a stumble, as if she'd tripped over a root or something.

"Yes!" she said happily, skipping up to be beside him. A thought struck her as they were walking. "Until you tell them that you're Moonlit Archer though, you can't be saving only me." Her tone was serious. "Okay?"

"I wouldn't be anyway," he told her with a soft chuckled, then sobered. "However, even when they do know, if it comes down to a choice between you or one of them- I will pick you. Every time. You should be aware of that."

"I know," Usagi said simply. She smiled and tightened her grip on his hand briefly. They were getting closer and closer to the hotel, and she didn't really want their time together to end. With a sigh, she knew it had to though, because Kazuma needed sleep too. Standing on her tiptoes and kissing him on the cheek, she made ready to go inside. "I'll see you tomorrow at training then?" she whispered, smiling a little, waiting to go up the path to their shared rooms.

Kazuma swept her up in his arms for one more kiss. When it finally ended all too soon he breathed, "Don't think I'll go easy on you just because you're my girlfriend." With a slight smirk he released her and turned, heading back into the trees.

Usagi was slightly breathless from the kiss, but she smiled.

"I count on not having it easy at all," she answered him, then walked up the path and opened the door, entering the room. Smiling happily to herself, she then looked around the room. "Girls!" They all looked as if someone had died. "What's wrong?" She felt horrible now, knowing that something had happened in her absence. 'This is what I get for going after something for myself,' she thought half-heartedly. She loved Kazuma, and was glad that she'd gone to tell him, but now the girls were upset, and she wasn't too happy about that.

Yumiko shook her head. "It's nothing you need to worry about. I saw that glow when you came in. What happened with Kazuma? Details ought to cheer us back up."

Hana nodded. "Yes, details. What happened while you were out there?" She'd had a crush on him yes, but it wasn't anything serious anymore. She could easily over look her small feelings if it made someone else happy, especially if that someone was her friend Usagi.

Usagi blushed, smiling happily and running a hand through her long hair. Mei took the opportunity to pick up her brush and start brushing her hair, twisting it up into her buns again.

"Well, we kissed..." Usagi began softly. "I told him that I loved him." She was beaming. "He told me that he loved me too." Putting her hands together, she closed her eyes and sighed happily, the blush in her cheeks bright as she finished. "We're boyfriend and girlfriend now." She looked around, and Mei and Rin looked cheered up from what she could tell. Yumiko and Hana too.

"That's great!" Hana declared. "Did he ask you? Or did you ask him? To be boyfriend/girlfriend I mean."

"He asked me after it was kind of obvious that it would happen," Usagi said. She grinned. "It was really sweet." She yawned, and blinked, giggling a little. "Bedtime though? We still have training to do." She smiled and stood, going over to her bed. Mei went to her own, and Rin to hers as the others followed suit.

The next morning, Usagi was up bright and early, brushing her teeth and everything. She wanted to make sure that she was ready to go for training, having missed a day.

"I will get strong, so that the others don't get hurt because of me," she whispered to herself in the mirror. Her hair was in its usual buns again, as she was worried it would get in her way while she was fighting. She didn't know that Kazuma liked her hair down, so she thought nothing of it. Rin and Mei woke and began getting ready as well, brushing their hair and teeth as they got dressed.

Hana seemed sort of out of it that morning, moving about in a haze.

The girls all followed Usagi down the trail toward their training field.

"I'm surprised we didn't see Kazuma at breakfast," Yumiko commented

"He told me that he had something to do this morning," Usagi said cheerfully. Once they got off the trail, they all transformed, and carefully made their way to the practice area. Sailor Moon was just as impressed as she had been the night before when she saw how well her friends were working together even before she started to touch their auras. Something was slightly off, but with the auras of the plant life surrounding them clouding her senses, Sailor Moon wasn't able to discern exactly what it was. Frowning in concentration, she tried to make it out, but couldn't.

And she wasn't given much time to do so, Archer dropped down, grabbed her around the shoulders, kicked her legs out and guided her to the ground to minimize pain and the was off taking down the next scout. It seemed he was not keeping to long range attacks like usual today He was going for hand to hand combat- with occasional aide from his hook lead chord.

Sailor Moon jumped up instantly, dashing into a tight spot, knowing that even though she was cornered, she could probably lash out better from an anchored position. Most of the day went on like this, the girls figuring out what worked best for each of them, and figuring out how it meshed cleanly together with the others. Towards the middle of the day, the off feeling that Sailor Moon had been feeling suddenly came to the fore.

"Get down!" she shouted as a golden chain whipped through the clearing. It cleanly cut through several trees, downing them. The dark aura was palpable as she touched the auras of each of the girls to make sure that they were okay, and Moonlit Archer's as well. To each person, her touch was a gentle brush against their mind, and she was gone in an instant. After making sure that they were okay, she cast about for the dark aura. The woman was close to Mercury, and closing in. "Mercury, get out of there!" Moon shouted into her mind. Dashing forward, she created a racket, trying to distract the dark woman. It worked, somewhat.

Mercury used her ability to create a fog, giving them extra cover.

Archer could feel where Dark Venus was and with a deep breath, reached behind him. He didn't have very many real arrows with him. He'd been making sure he had plenty of the false ones. Still- that could be useful for a distraction at least. So he fired off a few padded arrows to keep Dark Venus distracted long enough for the girls to figure out what to do.

Moon knew that they had to chase Dark Venus out onto the road in order to attack, so she told the girls to start chasing, but to make sure to close their eyes when she gave the command. Reaching out to Moonlit Archer, she told him the same, asking him to help. When she made sure that she had let everyone know, she started to help chase Dark Venus out. A few moments later, as Venus was on the edge of the road, Sailor Moon reached out to everyone and told them to close their eyes.

"Moonlight Reflection!" she whispered, and a blinding light erupted from her tiara, causing Dark Venus to shriek and crash to the ground outside of the forest. Standing, she whirled, angrily trying to figure out who had done it, but as everyone was still in the forest, hiding, she couldn't find anyone. She muttered an angry curse, leaving in a flash of golden hearts and light. Sailor Moon, the one closest to the edge of the forest, mentally checked to see if everyone was alright, her aura gently brushing against each person as she did.

Archer dropped back to the ground. "Go back to the inn," he told Moon. "Mars. You're a shrine maiden right? I've put some simple wards around the inn. Come with me. I'm going to have you strengthen my barrier with some wards," he instructed. 'I had hoped they'd leave us alone for a week. Guess I was wrong,' he thought.

Sailor Moon nodded, then motioned for the others to follow her.

"Okay!" Mars said cheerfully, bouncing along behind Archer. She cheerfully asked him what kind of wards he had already put up.

"You sure that we should go back? Maybe she's still out there," Venus said. She let her transformation go as Moon did, and then frowned when Usagi shook her head.

"No, I'm positive that she's gone. I can't sense her anymore," Usagi said, trying to reassure Mei. Finally, Mei nodded, and she looked at the others.

"Well, I guess practice is canceled for the rest of the day. Wanna go to the baths?" she asked.

"Oh that sounds like fun!" Usagi said enthusiastically. "I've not been since we got here!"

"Earth wards," Archer answered. "If I place my arrows in a proper pattern I can redirect the Earth's energy to erect a barrier. Now that I know they know we're here though, I think it's time to have it strengthened."

Mars frowned in thought, then snapped her fingers.

"If I add a simple fire charm, it should strengthen it by twice," she said. Pulling out some paper, she followed him to the first of the arrows. "Youma Taisen!" she whispered to the charm, and the associated kanji appeared. Tying it around the arrow, she lit it with a slight ember. After both the arrow and the charm had burned a little bit, she extinguished it and stood. "There. That will be two times as powerful now. On to the next one!" She cheerfully followed him to each arrow, repeating the same process each time. After they were finished, she turned to him and gave him a slight salute. "Thank you for allowing me to help! I have to protect Sailor Moon." She grinned and dashed off, taking the long way around so that she wouldn't be caught going to the hotel. Once she was out of his sight, she let her transformation fall and then quickly made her way back to their rooms. "Hi girls!" Rin said cheerfully, and Mei jumped up.

"Well finally," she said teasingly, and giggled when Rin spluttered an apology. "Come on, we're going to the baths," she added. Rin nodded and got changed, then followed them to the locker rooms. Usagi piled her hair on top of her head, still in the buns, and tucked it under a shower cap so that she wouldn't have to deal with it getting wet as she settled into the bath.

"Mmmm..." she hummed, closing her eyes and relaxing, hunched over and stretching briefly before sitting back and sitting straight again.

They had been at the inn five days now and it was evening of that day when Archer picked himself up off the ground with a soft groan. They had finally managed to beat him. And they had done so soundly. He'd only been able to take Mars down and 'maim' Jupiter before they beat him. He dusted off his clothes. "Looks like I no longer have anything to teach you," he told them and dropped his transformation.

Hana blinked, then blinked again. Everything came clicking into place for her then. "Oh... that... makes sense..." she whispered slowly.

Usagi let her transformation go too and smiled. Walking over, she hugged Hana. She really wanted to go over and give Kazuma a kiss, but her friends came before herself.

"I promised to keep it a secret so that you girls weren't distracted," she said in explanation as Rin gave her an accusing look. Mei sighed.

"You know, that does make sense. And coming from you, it makes even more sense," she added. Usagi frowned, tilting her head to the side.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, genuinely confused.

Kazuma understood it perfectly. "That was actually my idea," he told Mei. "Now that I've thoroughly had my ass handed to me-" he stretched his arms over his head, "I am going back to the hotel to soak." He walked past the girls and- just because he wanted to (and wanted to mess with Usagi) he stopped just long enough as he passed Usagi to give her good kiss before continuing on.

Yumiko laughed and gave a shrill whistle after the initial shock wore off.

Hana stared wide eyed and blushing.

Usagi was blushing brightly, and having let go of Hana, started to put her face in her hands.

"Oh my..." she whispered, finally looking in between her fingers. Rin giggled and patted her back, Mei just laughing, barely able to keep herself standing.

"It's not often that we get to see you flustered Usagi-chan," she finally gasped. Usagi pouted, her arms across her chest as she fully recovered. "Maybe tomorrow, since it's the last day before we have to go back to school, and we get home then, you two should go on a date," Mei added, looking at Usagi. "You know, without us along." Usagi's eyes lit up, but then she bit her lip, looking around at the others.

"Are you sure?" she asked. Rin nodded.

"It's perfectly fine Usagi! I'm sure Kazuma wouldn't mind either," she added with a little laugh. Usagi nodded.

"I think I'll go ask him before he starts towards the baths. Wish me luck!" she said cheerfully, turning and running back towards the hotel. Mei laughed.

"That girl... I swear, sometimes, I think she hardly has a thought for herself in that head of hers," she said softly.

Hana nodded her agreement.

"You know... It's odd that we didn't notice it was Kazuma before..." Yumiko noted as the others slowly made their way back.

Kazuma felt Usagi chasing after him and so he stopped, wondering if she was going to lecture him about the PDA. If so- he'd kiss her till she couldn't think to complain again.

Usagi caught up with him, a little breathless. Some stray hair had escaped from her buns, and she quickly tucked it behind her ears, smiling up at him. She'd no intention of lecturing him; it didn't even cross her mind. Latching on to him, she reached up and kissed his cheek.

"Hey, I was wondering." She paused, trying to figure out how to phrase it. "Well, after we all get home tomorrow, we still have a day off before we have to go back to school. I was wondering if you would like to go on a date with me." She bit her lip, looking up at him, wondering what he would say. Her eyes were shining, and she looked really excited.

"I kept feeling like I was remembering him from somewhere, but I just couldn't place it," Rin said. "That mask kind of obscured his whole face..." She made a face and then shook her head. "And I worked with him on the barrier too."

"I've known him since I was little... " Hana commented. "I'd been wondering for the last few days... but I wasn't sure..."

Kazuma grinned and kissed her. "Alright, but I have a condition," he murmured against her lips. He reached up and took her hair from its buns. "You have to wear your hair down. Or if you must, you can put it in a low ponytail," he told her, pulling back just enough she could see his smirk.

Usagi blushed as her hair fell softly about her face.

"You like my hair down?" she asked shyly. She hid her face slightly, trying to cover up the blush. "No one's ever said that to me before. My parents have always told me to keep it up so that I don't get it dirty..." A shadow of pain tinted her words as she spoke of her parents, but it was only there for an instant, barely discernible. Looking back up at Kazuma, she smiled, unaware that her eyes shimmered with unshed tears from the memories of her parents. "I'll wear it down for you."

Luna jumped into the path before the girls, looking at each of them.

"Hello girls, how are you?" she asked amiably. Mei told Luna what had happened, and saw Luna nod. "So, he finally told you all. Usagi guessed on her own. But, there is one thing that Usagi still doesn't know, as I haven't had a chance to tell her yet. Kazuma knows this truth as well. Girls, until I am able to tell Usagi, you cannot mention it to her."

"Alright. Then meet me at Hachiko at 3pm," he told her, grinning.

Kazuma got there at 2:55, wearing jeans, a red shirt with a blue strip just under his arms across his chest, and a black jacket over it.

Usagi walked up five minutes later, wearing a sky-blue dress with a knee-length skirt. A matching ribbon was tied into her hair as a headband, but otherwise, her hair was down. Seeing Kazuma, she walked over, twirling around when she was before him.

"Such a beautiful day!" she said happily. Holding on to his arm, she smiled up at him. "What do you want to do?" Luna kept watch from a distance, and she was sure that Kazuma could feel her, as she wasn't sure how to hide her aura from him. She was able to successfully hide her aura from Usagi though, and that's what mattered.

"You look gorgeous," he told her, smiling. "I thought we could go to a movie, maybe do some shopping," he told her, kissing her forehead. As he did he looked over at Luna, or her general direction at least. "Come on."

Usagi blushed as he kissed her forehead, but nodded, taking his hand and walking beside him.

"Whatever you want to do Kazuma," she said, happy just to be with him.

When Kazuma had looked over at Luna, she had let a general protective feeling wash over her aura, but it was directed at the both of them, not just Usagi.

They ended up going to a movie, and Usagi had cuddled up against Kazuma the whole time. Now they were done, and it was only about five thirty. Looking around, Usagi pointed at a little cafe.

"Maybe dinner there?" she asked.

For a moment Kazuma looked a little stricken. "Uh... yeah... sure..." he agreed slowly.

As they got inside the were seated towards the back corner.

Karin walked over to them, wearing a cute little waitress outfit. "Well now this is a surprise. Kazu, I didn't think I'd ever see you in here," she was grinning at them both outright.

Kazuma looked like he wanted to crawl under a rock.


	9. Chapter 8

"What can I get you to drink while you look over the menu? Usual for you Kazu?" Karin asked sweetly.

Usagi looked between the two, frowning. She could tell that they were related, but she wasn't entirely sure how. Still.

"Kazuma, we can go somewhere else if you're uncomfortable," she said softly, reaching over the table to touch his arm. It really made her unhappy that he was unhappy. Her silver eyes were full of guilt as she looked at him. "I don't want you to be unhappy..."

Karin laughed. "Oh he can't leave. If he did, he'd never hear the end of it when he got home. So you must be the new girlfriend. Gotta say, you look like his usual type. Though he usually dates older not younger."

"Karin... if you don't stop talking I will smother you with a pillow while you sleep," Kazuma told her grumpily.

This also made Karin laugh. "Oh please. You've been threatening to do that since we were five and I have yet to be smothered. And I embarrass you in front of your girlfriends all the time. So this is nothing new. Unless you're actually serious about this one," she added.

Kazuma sighed and just stared at her for a moment.

Karin returned the stare, hand on her hips, and after a moment raised her eyebrow. "Wow. You are. Well that makes teasing you in front of her a lot more tempting..." Another long silence. "Oh alright. Just for you my adorable little brother," she told him. "Usual for you and what for you, little sister?" she asked, giving Usagi a peppy smile.

Kazuma sighed. "Go ahead and order. It's fine. She's just messing with me. As usual."

"It's my job," she answered cheerily.

Usagi looked at him for a moment longer, then sighed, looking at the menu.

"Just a salad and a smoothie please!" she said with a smile, then watched as Karin walked away. "Your sister? I didn't know you had a sister!" Usagi was actually excited to meet Karin. She could see the loving teasing that had been going on, and had been slightly jealous until Karin had said little brother.

Kazuma sighed again. "Yeah, I do. She lives with Mom most of the time." He'd been about to clarify that she was his twin sister, but then remembered that Usagi had been able to sense that he was only half a Senshi. He didn't want to give her any more reason to take a closer look at Karin's aura. Karin had been adamant she was to remain a secret a bit longer from the other Senshi.

Usagi smiled.

"She's pretty," she said. Brushing some stray hair out of her face, she looked at some of the waitresses wandering around. "Maybe I should get a job here. There's not much money or food left in my house..." She looked back at Kazuma. "Would one of those uniforms look good on me you think?"

He looked at her sharply. "You want to get a job... waitress... here?" he asked.

"Really?" Karin had come back with their drinks. "I could put a good word in with the Manager if you'd like. Plus you're totally in her strike zone. She'd probably get all excited about having a cutie like you added to the team. How old are you?" she asked, setting down the drinks.

Kazuma shot Karin a quick look.

Karin laughed and touched his shoulder. "Don't worry. I'll make sure she'd got someone watching her back even if I'm not here. I won't let you're precious girlfriend get taken advantage of." In his mind she said, 'Don't worry. She won't be able to tell who I am so long as I keep my guard up- which I always do anyway. She won't be able to feel who I am.'

He'd told her about how good Usagi was at sensing Senshi as a warning the night before when he'd gotten home.

"Why not?" Usagi asked. She was trying to be light-hearted about it. "My parents are still missing. I can't rely on them to keep me fed." She smiled a bit before going on to answer Karin's question. "I'm fourteen. Last year of middle school. And besides Kazuma, you won't have to worry about me getting into trouble elsewhere." Usagi smiled at him. "I promise, I'll be fine."

Karin's expression sobered and then she sighed, giving Kazuma a sympathetic pat on his shoulder as he slumped forward hitting his head on the table.

"I'll get you an application hon," she told her, giving him a questioning look.

Kazuma looked up at Usagi, his chin propped on the table still. "I'm sorry about your parents Usagi."

Usagi smiled and leaned across the table, kissing his forehead. Her hair lightly brushed his face as she did this, then leaned back.

"Don't be Kazuma," she said softly. Letting out a slight sigh of frustration, she propped her elbows on the table and rested her chin in her hands. "I just wish that Luna and I had a clue of where to look for them."

Kazuma had considered it was the doing of the Dark Senshi, but he didn't want to scare her with the idea- if she hadn't already considered it. "Why don't you come to my house after this? You can stay as long as you like," he added with a smile as he sat back up.

Usagi smiled sadly.

"I would love to Kazuma..." she said softly. "I can't though. I have to stay home on the off chance that my parents do come back. I don't want them to worry about me..." At that moment, Karin came back with their food, and they ate their meal in silence. Usagi filled out the job application, and handed it to Karin, giving her a hug in thanks before they left. Kazuma walked Usagi home, casting worried looks at her as she held his hand and watched the sidewalk. Once they were outside her front door, she turned to him to say goodbye. Capturing her and holding her close, he kissed her. Usagi let her eyes close as she leaned into the kiss, and all too soon it was over, and she had to go inside.

"Usagi, call me if you have any troubles," Kazuma said softly before letting her go. Usagi nodded and kissed Kazuma again before letting go and going inside. "What am I going to do with her?" he muttered to himself, casting one last glance at her house before turning and slowly walking away. Inside, Usagi walked up to her room, depositing her shoes in the entryway and putting her light jacket on the coat rack.

"Usagi-chan," Luna meowed, and Usagi sat at her desk. Luna jumped up on top of it, and looked at her. "I have something very important to tell you Usagi-chan." Usagi looked perkier.

"You found Mom and Dad?" she asked excitedly. Luna sadly shook her head and Usagi looked down. "Oh..."

"Usagi-chan, you have to listen," Luna said, and Usagi looked up at her. Luna proceeded to tell her who she really was, and why she was down here on Earth. By the time she was done, Usagi looked shell shocked. "Usagi-chan?" Luna asked worriedly. Usagi shook her head and got changed into her pajamas, laying down in bed.

"I'm just going to bed now Luna..." she whispered. From how her shoulders were shaking, Luna could tell that she was crying, and trying very hard to hide it.

The next morning, Usagi refused to get up and go to school, and while Luna was impressed that for once, Usagi was thinking of herself, and without prompting, she could not have done it at a more inopportune time. Sighing, Luna lay at the end of the bed, wondering why everything had gone so wrong.

Hana- now knowing who Kazuma was, texted him when Usagi didn't show.

Kazuma promptly ditched school and went to his girlfriend's house, ringing the bell.

Luna opened the door, then motioned for Kazuma to come inside. Usagi still lay in her bed upstairs, and hadn't heard the bell.

"Kazuma, I think I've done something terribly wrong..." Luna said sadly. "I had to tell her... There was no way I couldn't. Everything that she does from now on has to do with her identity as a Princess... She's taking this much harder than I thought she would..." Luna lay down on the floor, her ears flat against her head as she put her paws over her eyes. "I don't know what to do... Normally Usagi-chan is so strong..."

Kazuma crouched down and gently scratched her down ears. "It's hard to handle at first, and probably harder for her since she doesn't know where those parents that raised her are right now," he told her, standing. "I'll see if I can get her to cheer up a bit," he promised and headed upstairs to her room. He knocked politely on the door and waited for an answer before going in.

Luna nodded, purring a bit as she watched Kazuma go up the stairs. She heard the knock, and found herself waiting for a response, her cat ears picking up the noises from upstairs.

"Go away Luna," came Usagi's muffled reply. A rustling of fabric from inside the room seemed to signify that she'd turned over.

Kazuma came into the room quietly. She'd rolled, it seemed, so her back was to the door. He smiled softly at himself then crossed the room to her bed and laid down beside her, wrapping his arms around her before she could even turn to figure out what was going on. "I'm not Luna," he whispered.

Usagi gasped when she felt his weight on the bed.

"Kazuma," she whispered, turning over again to face him. Her hair was a tangled mess about her face, her cheeks flushed, and her eyes red from crying and lack of sleep. She hid her face against his chest, a choked sob escaping her as she tried to hold back, not wanting to cry anymore. She had a headache from all the tears she had shed, and she was unable to bear the thought of shedding anymore.

Kazuma hushed her, hugging her close and smoothing down her hair. "It's alright Usagi," he whispered. "I know that it's hard to hear." He paused. "You're not alone in this. All of the Senshi are the same way. I know it's different for you since your parents are missing right now. But I promise, we will find them." He kissed the top of her head, falling silent. He wasn't always very good at knowing just the right words to say to make someone feel better, but he wanted to help ease Usagi's pain if he could.

Usagi sniffled, then looked up.

"The others are in the same situation...?" she asked softly. When Kazuma nodded, Usagi sighed. "Then I'm being a little bit selfish..." She sighed and got out from under her blankets, forgetting that she was still in her nightgown, and went over to sit at her desk. Getting her brush, she started to brush her hair, sighing again. "I think it hurts more that Luna kept this from me for so long... And that I'm the last to know. You knew about me before I knew about me Kazuma..." Putting her brush down, she turned around, looking at him. Her silver eyes were depths of emotion as she stood. "But I can deal with it..." She was already shoving her pain to the side, wanting to help her friends deal with theirs. She wanted to be there for THEM, not pouting like a child over her own hurts. "Let's all meet up later, and just have fun." She smiled and went over, kissing Kazuma.

Kazuma grabbed her and pulled her down into his lap. "Usagi, no one will begrudge you a bit of selfishness. In fact, I think I speak for all the Senshi that we'd rather you were a bit more selfish. Ignoring your pain won't make it go away, Usagi. So we're going to stay here until you feel you can bear this," he whispered. "I knew first because Luna needed to be sure that Moonlit Archer would take care of the princess when something happened and she wasn't able to. I knew first for your protection. and considering how much it hurt you, can't you see why she would hesitate to tell you? Luna loves you. She wouldn't want to cause you pain."

"I know..." Usagi said quietly. She looked down at her hands, which were clasped together in her lap. She leaned against Kazuma, taking comfort in his strength. She felt like she could bear it, but she knew that she was a terrible liar. Even if she could convince herself, she wouldn't be able to convince Kazuma. She turned so that she was sitting sideways on his lap, and curled up, her head resting on his chest while on of her hands reached up and gripped his shirt. Silently, she began to cry, really unable to keep herself from doing that anymore. Her tears wet his shirt as she cuddled close. Soon, she had cried herself to sleep, and while she was slightly limp, her grip on him was tight, unmovable.

Kazuma held her tightly, just letting her cry. When she fell asleep- and he could tell she wasn't going to be letting go, he lay back on her bed with her. Eventually he fell asleep himself, still holding her in his arms.

Rin stood at Usagi's door, Hana, Yumiko, and Mei all with her. She rang the doorbell, and Luna answered the door.

"Luna! Is Usagi okay? Kazuma never texted Hana back whether he'd found her or not," Rin said worriedly. Luna sighed and nodded, watching as all four crowded into the house.

"Usagi-chan is fine, I promise," she said. She'd heard them both fall asleep a couple of hours before, but these girls didn't need to know that.

Usagi jumped when she heard the doorbell ring, startled out of her dreams. Feeling arms around her, she looked up and smiled when she saw that Kazuma was still there. Hearing a faint conversation from below, she frowned, but was unwilling to get up to investigate.

Kazuma's eyes shot open at the sound of the doorbell. He stayed still, listening to the sound of people filing in and talking. He recognized Hana's voice and sighed. "I forgot to text her back," he muttered, releasing Usagi and getting up. "Go ahead and stay up here. I'll take care of it," he told her as he trotted down the stairs. "Sorry Hana. I forgot to text you back," he apologized. "Usagi's just a little shaken right now. She just found out the truth."

Mei sighed, then took a step towards Usagi's room.

"Maybe if we go up and talk to her...?" she asked, trailing off. Luna looked at Kazuma, wondering if it was fine. Usagi had followed Kazuma out of the room, keeping quiet as she watched from the top of the stairs, still looking slightly sleepy.

Kazuma shook his head. "Not right now. You know how she is. She knows that all of you have a similar situation and if she's faced with all you she'll put your suffering before her own. No. For now it's best to just give her some space."

Yumiko spoke first. "Tell her we said hi and wish her well. Take care of her while we're gone okay?" she headed for the door. "Come on girls. Let's go down our own sorrows in a cake buffet. We'll find some good ones to take to Usagi when she's ready."

Rin nodded.

"Chocolate cake for Mei and for me!" she said leading the way towards the cake shop.

Usagi silently went back to her room and lay on the bed, her head pillowed on her hands. Luna looked up at Kazuma.

"Thank you... I know that if Usagi just keeps putting her own feelings to the side, she'll eventually just break..." she said softly. Rubbing against his legs, she purred a little. Suddenly, the sound of shattering glass and a scream could be heard from upstairs. Usagi, caught off guard in her room, was struggling against a snarling Dark Jupiter. Her hand was around Usagi's throat, and she was pushing her into shards of glass.

Kazuma smiled down at Luna and opened his mouth to answer, but then his head shot up at the sound of breaking glass. He transformed as he took the stairs three at a time and had already notched an arrow when he made the corner to her room. He was furious at himself for having not felt her sooner and loosed the arrow, aiming for Jupiter head.

Dark Jupiter jerked back so the arrow missed her, but he'd sent another arrow flying already, and this one caught her in the arm that still had Usagi- having correctly judged her path of escape.

Dark Jupiter screamed in rage and pain, dropping Usagi and fled out the window again, cradling her wounded arm.

"Usagi!" Archer rushed to her side, picking her back up as she slumped to the ground. He immediately started to heal her, his hand faintly glowing as he held it over her throat and then moved it over her body where she'd received cuts from the glass.

Usagi coughed a little, then struggled to sit up. She struggled because Archer seemed to want her to stay laying down.

"I'm fine," she insisted, forcing him to let her sit up. She shook her head, shaking away the dark spots that clouded her vision. Dark Jupiter had had such a tight hold on her that she'd been on the verge of passing out by the time Archer had gotten there. Luna was at the door of the room, afraid that the shards of glass would get into her paws, and she would be made even more useless to Usagi.

"That does it. You're coming to my house. You'll be staying there and I'll walk you to and from school," he told her firmly, shaking from the rush of adrenaline and fear that had hit him.

Usagi nodded wordlessly, feeling rather scared herself. That had been scary.

"I'll just get my clothes together," she said. The shock was wearing off now, and she herself was shaking. Standing, she picked her way across the room and pulled out several clean uniforms, plus a few cute dresses. Her jacket was downstairs, so she didn't have to worry about it right away. "I'll need a new nightgown..." she said to herself, mentally making a list of things she might need to buy. Going to the bathroom, she got her hair soap and her toothbrush and toothpaste, packing them into her duffle bag as well. Having taken along a change of clothing, she changed while she was there, and then walked back to her room, tossing her bloodstained nightgown into the trash. Sighing as she surveyed her room, she knelt and began picking up shards of glass.

Archer- for he hadn't dropped his transformation yet, stopped her. "Leave it for now. You're shaking still so you'll just end up cutting yourself," he told her, pulling her too her feet. Taking a breath, he dropped his transformation at last. "Come on," he told her and pulled her out of the room, down the stairs and then out of the house. "I texted Hana to let her know I was taking you to my place. I'll explain it fully later," he told her, waiting for her to lock up.

Usagi locked the door behind her after making sure that Luna was with them. Luna jumped up onto Usagi's shoulders and Usagi looked up at Kazuma. Taking his hand, she clung to him, still rather scared. It felt like the Dark Senshi were targeting her specifically.

"Kazuma... This is about the third time that they've tried to kill me..." she whispered.

Kazuma was silent a moment, and then squeezed her hand. "Listen... you know you're the Moon Princess right? All of the other Senshi, your friends- they exist to protect you. You are the most important of all the Senshi. So it's no surprise they are going after you," he told her softly.

"I think it's more than that..." Usagi said. "Every time they touch me..." She shivered. "I feel a deep sense of terror, and of desperation... And something else... As if they feel I am a threat to their existence..." She shivered again, getting closer to Kazuma as she did. "It's scary... Each time it gets worse..."

Kazuma mentally noted that and planned to talk to his associates about it when he got the chance.

He led her to his house and escorted her in, and then froze for a second when an older man walked from one room to another, glancing at them on the way but not stopping.

And then he jumped back out and stared. "What the- Kazuma! Who is this?! You didn't tell me you were bringing- why does she have a bag?"

Kazuma sighed. "Dad, this is Usagi, my girlfriend. She's going to stay her for a bit."

"Is she now?" he asked in a tone that said 'you wanna bet?'

"Her house was just broken into, her parents are missing, and I promised her guardian I'd look after her. This is also work related."

The man's expression faltered for a moment and he looked between the two. "I... I see... well... I guess you can set her up in a guest room..." he murmured.

Kazuma nodded and led Usagi into the house, up the stairs and into a back bedroom. "Sorry. I was hoping to get you in before he saw us."

"It's alright. I'm sure I would have run into him eventually," Usagi said softly. Closing the door quietly, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed Kazuma, leaning against him slightly. "Thank you..." She pulled back, blushing, looking down at the ground.

Kazuma caught her chin, making her look up before brushing back her hair with his hands as he cups her face and kissed her again, slowly. "You're welcome love," he whispered against her lips before releasing her. "I'll go have a talk with my Dad. You go ahead and get settled," he told her with a reassuring smile and headed down the stairs.

Usagi nodded, started to organize her few belongings after he left. Putting the dresses in the drawers, and hanging her uniforms up, she sat on the bed with a sigh. She'd put her toothbrush, toothpaste, and brush on the little desk, and her schoolbag was resting against the chair. Luna jumped up onto the bed and curled up next to Usagi as she leaned forward and put her face in her hands.

"Luna, why is this happening? Why am I the target?" she whispered to her cat, truly exhausted.

Kazuma came back in about fifteen minutes later. "You can share the bathroom to the right in the hall with my sister. She's ended up staying longer than planned," Kazuma told her as he sat down beside her.

Usagi nodded and cuddled close to him, really needing some sort of physical contact.

"I'm glad your dad isn't mad at you," she said. Looking up, she smiled. "I'm actually feeling a little bit better now that I know I'm not going to be sleeping in an empty house."

He smiled softly and kissed her forehead. "It will be fuller than you know how to handle with my sister here," he told her.

He stayed with her, just gently holding her until he heard the hurricane of commotion that usually meant his sister had arrived.

Usagi blinked, not quite sure what was going on, but was sure that it wasn't that bad. Kazuma wasn't reacting to it except to maybe shake his head a little bit.

"Um.. Who's home?" she asked, curious.

"That would be Karin," he told her, getting up. "I'll go tell her you're here so she remembers to keep her manners turned on," he told her with a smile.

Down the stairs he went and he narrowly dodged the pillow that was flung at him. "What is she doing here?!" Karin hissed quietly, making sure Usagi wasn't at the top of the stairs listening.

Kazuma checked as well before walking up to his sister and touching her shoulder. He quickly explained the situation.

Karin scoffed and grumbled but nodded. "Fine... I get your point. But I don't like it," she told him quietly. "I won't be able to relax at all," she muttered, heading up the stairs and going to her room.

Kazuma went back to Usagi's room. "I apoligize for anything she may do in advance," he told her. "Karin is... a bit of a wild child."

Usagi nodded, then looked up, her eyes wide.

"I hope I don't inconvenience anyone..." she said worriedly. "I can help around the house, cleaning and cooking, anything..."

"No no. Don't misunderstand. I'm actually more worried about my sister taking advantage of you then anything."

"Now that's just rude!" Karin huffed, opening the door. "Thinking I'd take advantage of her. She's you're girlfriend!"

"Yeah, exactly why I'm worried."

"Oh please." Karin rolled her eyes. "It'll be fun having a girl around the house. We can do all kinds of girly things that Kazu isn't invited to!" she declared with the grin that was somewhere between devilish and childish.

Usagi looked at her, wide eyed.

"Well... I've never really done anything like that before," she admitted shyly. She looked at Kazuma. "It wouldn't be too bad, would it? Kind of like a sleepover!" She giggled, brushing some of her hair out of her face. "I've never had one of those before either. My parents sort of kept me at home more often than not." At mention of her parents, her eyes grew sad again, but she shook her head, wanting to be cheerful. And why not? She was making a new friend, and Kazuma was nearby.

Karin looked to Kazuma and held out her hand. "Hand the phone over right now," she ordered sharply.

"Karin I don't-"

"It won't, trust me, I know what I doing! Phone! NOW!"

Kazuma sighed and handed over the phone. Who knew, maybe it would help.

Karin was an amazingly fast texter. It seemed the phone could hardly keep up with her. "There. Now I'm going to go made Dad get scarce," she told him and pranced from the room.

Kazuma flopped back on the bed. "I can never win with her."

Usagi giggled and lay down beside him, cuddling close and kissing his neck. She was partially on top of him as she had had to turn over to be able to kiss him.

"I think you enjoy it a little bit," she said. "Besides. It's not like I'm going to be out of the house, right?" Her hair slipped from behind her ear and fell into her face.

Kazuma held on as long as he could, but then her hair spilled over her ear like that. He wrapped his arms around her waist and twisted, pulling her over him and onto her back with him almost completely on top of her. It took effort but he forced himself up to his hands and knees. "Usagi. You really do need to learn to be more aware of yourself," he told her breathlessly. "You make it very hard for a man to keep himself in control when you do something like that."

Usagi was blushing, but she nodded, a sly little smile on her face. She understood what he was saying now.

"I'll make sure to watch myself next time," she whispered, reaching up and kissing him. Spilled out underneath her, her hair was soft and silken. Her eyes met his as she looked up at him. "I love you Kazuma," she added, just as soft as before.

He groaned softly, and rested his head on her shoulder. "Are you sure you understand?" he asked her, sounding a bit pathetic.

The bell rang and Kazuma- who had been enjoying the last hour spent either holding or slowly kissing Usagi, got up off the bed completely and pulled her up as well, smoothing out her hair. He smiled at her and then led her downstairs.

There stood Hana, Mei, Rin, and Yumiko with bags and pillows. "Hey! We were told that there was going to be a sleep over at Kazuma's," Yumiko chimed happily.

"Yep! Mass girls night! Which means that you Kazuma-" Karin was saying as she headed down the stairs as well.

"I know: being a guy I have to vacate the house," he finished. "Girls take care and DON'T let my sister do anything weird to you."

Karin had a brush in her hand as she'd been brushing her hair- and she chucked it at him.

Kazuma caught it and chucked it back with a grin.

Karin caught it as well and stuck her tongue out at him. "Begone devil spawn!" she declared- trying not to grin herself.

Kazuma ducked out of the room and then out of the house.

"But... wouldn't that make you devil spawn as well?" Hana asked. "Since you're twins and all."

Karin pounced the girl. "Now that's just mean Hana! And after I watched your brother out of the goodness of my heart for a whole week!"

"AH! he was still on a sugar rush by the time I got him back!" Hana declared.

Karin just laughed. "So? Alright girls! be prepared for a night of mass girlyness! There will be much brushing and braiding and nail painting and gossip about boys!" she told them cheerily. It was clear she was often the life of the party.

Usagi smiled back at Kazuma, feeling giddy and happy. She'd enjoyed the last hour very much. As they walked down the stairs, she held onto his hand tightly, then pouted a little when she heard that he had to leave. Luna had jumped onto her shoulders as they'd walked down the stairs, and now she pet her. Luna started purring, looking around at the girls. After hearing that Karin was Kazuma's twin, however, Usagi cast a sharp look at Luna. Maybe she was the other half of his aura! Getting a small feel for Karin, Usagi was left feeling confused. Something wasn't right at all about the whole situation, but she didn't say anything.

"Hi girls!" she said cheerfully, giving each one a hug. Mei smiled and tugged gently on Usagi's hair.

"I can't wait to play with your hair Usagi!" she exclaimed. "It's so soft and pretty!"

The party was very fun, and everyone seemed to have a good time.

In the morning Kazuma came back into the house. He'd actually ended up just sleeping on the roof where they had a little hidden nest where they'd use to play as kids.


	10. Chapter 9

Kazuma and Karin made breakfast for everyone, and Kazuma let the girls walk to school together while he went his own way for his school. With them there and Hana able to text him if something happened, he felt okay about leaving Usagi's side.

Usagi walked with everyone, chattering happily about the sleepover as they went.

"So why is it that you're staying at Kazuma's house anyways?" Mei finally asked. Usagi looked down at her feet and sighed.

"Dark Jupiter broke into my own house and tried to kill me," she said quietly. Mei's eyes widened as she looked at the other girls.

"Why-" Hana started then stopped. She knew why. Because otherwise they would have all crowded around her trying to help. To many people trying to help at once isn't very helpful. "I see. Well it's good that his Dad agreed them right?" she asked, trying to be cheerful despite the bad news.

"Yeah." Usagi smiled. "It's actually making me feel a bit better sleeping there. Sleeping in my empty house was getting a tad depressing," she admitted sheepishly. "I guess I was just too worried about imposing on any of you to actually admit I needed help..." She looked at each one, her eyes apologetic. Her hair was back in her usually bun hairdo, and so the wind blowing didn't blow her hair into her face. "Can you girls forgive me for making you worry yesterday...? Luna told me everything... And I know that you are in the same situation... I just... Took it rather hard..." She looked down at her feet again, having stopped walking just short of walking into the school.

"Usa-chan. You really need to learn to worry about yourself. Worrying about us only makes us worry more about you since you won't do it for yourself," Yumiko said quietly.

"Of course we can forgive you Usagi-chan. You're our friend," Hana added with a smile.

Usagi looked up at them and smiled, her entire face brightening.

"Thank you so much!" she said happily, and jumped forward, giving each of them a hug. With that, they went off to school.

About two weeks went by without incident, and life settled a bit. Usagi came back home from school on day, bursting with news. Mei had walked her home, and she laughed at how excited her friend was.

"I'll see you tomorrow Mei!" Usagi said, giving her a hug and then running upstairs to her room to drop off her stuff before going back downstairs in search of Kazuma.

Kazuma was laying on the couch in the living room with his arm over his eyes appearing to be asleep. "You've got a lot of energy this afternoon," he commented without lifting his arm. "What's got you so wound up?"

Pouncing on Kazuma, Usagi giggled.

"There's a dance at school!" she said happily. "And it's girl's choice. So I was going to ask you if you wanted to go with me." She smiled and sat on him, waiting for him to sit up.

He did not sit up, he didn't even move his arm. In fact the only indication that he was aware of her pounce was the grunt it had gotten out of him. "Is that alright? I don't go to your school after all," he pointed out, sounding tired.

Usagi knelt down next to the couch, watching him intently. His weariness worried her a little bit.

"Yes, it's fine. I made sure to ask," she said. But she wasn't concentrating on the dance anymore. "Kazuma, are you okay?" she asked, resting her head on her arms, which she had propped up on the couch as she watched him. She still hadn't asked him about his sister yet; she was almost afraid to. He hadn't told her that Karin was his twin, and Usagi knew that it had to be for some reason that wasn't immediately obvious to her yet.

"Yeah. Just had a rough day at school," he told her quietly, still not moving. "And I re-strengthened the barrier around the house... so... just feeling a little worn out. Anyway- sure, I'll go to the dance with you if it's okay with the school," he told her, trying to sound more upbeat- though that tired drawl was still there.

Gently moving his arm out of the way, Usagi leaned in and kissed him, giving him some of her energy, wanting nothing more than to make him happy. Pulling back after a few moments, she smiled.

"I'm glad you'll go with me," she said happily. "I already know what I want to wear." She giggled, resting her head on the couch again.

Kazuma winced slightly when she kissed him, and he moved his arm back down over his eyes as soon as she started to move away. He wasn't sure if he'd managed to hide it or not, the shiner he had over his right eye.

Usagi frowned, having just barely seen the black eye.

"What's that about?" she asked, frowning. She wasn't mad, but instead just even more worried than she'd been before. "You know I can give you energy so that you can heal that..."

"You need your energy in case there is another attack, and I need to store up my energy for the same reason. It's just a slight bruise. It'll be gone in a few days," he told her.

Usagi frowned, crossing her arms across her chest.

"It won't take that long for me to replenish energy," she said. "I really don't mind. Please Kazuma." She reached out, going to touch his hand, intending to give him a bit more energy. She was extremely hyperactive today, so it wasn't like she would kill herself giving it to him.

He gently pushed her hand away as he sat up, suppressing a groan. The bruise was a pretty good one, nice and dark already. "That's great that you don't mind but I don't need it," he told her. "It's my own fault for getting into the fight so don't worry about it," he told her. He was irritated with himself for getting into the fight, and then again for actually taking as many hard punches as he did. The guy ended up having buddies that were willing to gang up on him, so it had ended up being four big guys against him. He still won the fight but he had plenty of wounds to show for it. Not to mention he'd gotten suspended for a week. Now that he wasn't hiding his face as much it was clear he was getting a bruise on his cheek as well as his chin. Who knew how many he had under his rumpled uniform.

Usagi looked up at him, her eyes suddenly going flinty.

"Well fine," she said. Standing, she started back up the stairs to her room. "Hana and I were going to hang out this afternoon, as we still need to put the finishing touches on our project."

He stared at the wall. 'Wait... are we... fighting?' he wondered, feeling a bit confused. "Okay... be careful out there... I guess?' he called after her. He wasn't really in the mood to say sorry when he didn't feel he'd done anything wrong to her.

Usagi merely nodded and closed the door behind her, then made her way back to her own home. She'd lied to him about hanging out with Hana, and the fact that they were working on their project. It had been turned in the day before. She didn't know why she'd done it, but she had. Unlocking the door and stepping inside, she sighed, closing the door and locking it behind her. Sinking down to the floor, she hugged her knees to her chest and rested her forehead on her knees.

"Luna, why am I even angry...?" she asked, Luna having jumped on her shoulders just before she left. Luna meowed, rubbing her face against Usagi's not really sure what to say. Usagi sighed and stood, going up to her room. Glass shards still covered the floor, and a chill breeze blew through the broken window. "Well, might as well do something to kill time..." She started to pick up the shards, tossing them into the trash bin, then went and grabbed the vacuum cleaner from the hall closet. Running the vacuum, she finished quickly and out it away, then looked at the window. "Now how am I supposed to fix that?" she muttered to herself, then remembered that there was a piece of plywood downstairs. She went to get it, and after a long struggle, finally got it up to her room and into the window. Luckily, it fit well enough that she only needed to hammer it in. Now finished cleaning, she went down to the kitchen and made herself a quick snack, going through the fridge and pantry as she did. She tossed out everything that was expired, then took out the trash. The whole house was clean by the time she was done, and she went back up to her room. Laying on the bed, she closed her eyes, slowly falling asleep. Tears streaked down her face as she slept, nightmare after nightmare plaguing her.

Kazuma after a while had decided that he really should talk to Usagi- find out WHY she was mad at least. So he texted Hana asking when they'd be done.

'We turned our projects in yesterday. I'm not with Usagi right now,' was the answer.

Kazuma bolted out of the house and called up Karin. "Usagi's missing. She left the house telling me she was going to be with Hana, but she's not."

"IDIOT!"

"I Know it was stupid Karin!"

"Why would you let her-"

"Karin! I need your help finding her again!"

Karin sighed hanging up the phone. "Sorry girls. Duty calls. I have to help fend for my little brother," she told her friends and headed out. She transformed and headed to a higher altitude atop a building. Raising her arm she held out her hands, palms facing away from her. She slowly began to feel out the location of the Moon Princess. It was a bit harder because of the distance and that she was just plain Usagi at the moment, but eventually she pinned down her location and gave it to Kazuma.

Kazuma knew where she was as soon as Karin told her the direction. He rushed over to Usagi's house and knocked, then checked the door but it was locked. So he knocked again, more loudly.

Usagi jumped at the sound of the knocks and checked her phone. It was late. Who could be here at this hour? Wiping her face, she wandered downstairs. Luna followed closely, knowing it was Kazuma outside, but still very protective of her Princess. Shivering because the house was cold, and because she was still remembering the nightmares, Usagi opened the door. Seeing Kazuma there, she instantly wanted to hide. He'd obviously found out that she'd lied.

"Hi..." she said quietly, looking down at the ground.

Kazuma's face had been panicked; he was out of breath from having run not to mention the pain his unhealed body felt. Seeing that she was physically unharmed he sighed, relief filling his face for a moment, before being replace by a dark thunderous cloud. "Usagi! What the hell were you-" He clenched his teeth together to stop the flow of shouted angry words that were coming out of his mouth. "We're going back home. Now," he told her tightly. He stepped aside so she could step out of the house. He stood there still clenching his teeth as he waited for her to lock the door behind her and then headed out with a sharp turn on his heel and started walking for home. He felt behind him to make sure she was following, knowing if he looked to see if she was he'd be glaring at her. As it was he was scowling at the ground, keeping his eyes down to avoid scaring someone into calling the cops on him. As it was anyone that wanted trouble wasn't going to be looking for it from him just by the anger that was radiating from him.

Usagi followed behind, holding Luna. She sighed, knowing that she'd messed up, and now Kazuma was angry with her. Once they got back to his house, she just went straight to her room and lay on her bed.

"I screwed up badly," she said to Luna quietly. Luna sighed, then nodded, knowing that even if she'd disagreed, Usagi would have been beating herself up over it. Curling into a ball, Usagi hid her face and bit her lip, keeping herself from crying. Slowly, she began to fall asleep again, and even as her body relaxed, her face tensed: the nightmares coming back to haunt her.

Kazuma didn't say a single word to her the entire way. Twice a guy had however tried to talk to her since they weren't walking 'together' and each time Kazuma turned around and let his gaze fall on the guy. Both times the guy couldn't get away fast enough.

Back at his house he went to his own room and flopped on the bed, glowering at the ceiling.

Karin knocked lightly on the door.

"Not now," he growled.

"I know you're pissed. I could feel it when you were walking down the street," she told him softly. It was a gentle tone she didn't use very often, part of a softer side of herself. "I was just wondering if you need to vent. We could go out if you... Kazuma... what happened to you?" she asked, seeing him for the first time that afternoon. They did not go to the same school, so she didn't know about the fight.

"Not now," he repeated darkly.

"Need help healing?"

"No- because Usagi and I started fighting over the fact that I wouldn't let her for some reason- which lead to this whole her lying to me situation. If I get it healed by you- how do I explain that to her?" he growled.

"Okay... I'll... come back later... when you work more of this out... I guess," Karin decided, backing out of the room. She let out a breath in the hall. 'Okay... that was mildly scary... I'm glad he's so even tempered usually. I don't think that she could take that temper very often,' she thought walking away before his rage followed her.

Usagi found herself in a vast ballroom, and she was in a gown that she didn't recognize. Her hair was down, and it swirled about her as she turned, trying to see if anyone was there. Finding herself all alone, she started walking, trying to find someone in the castle that seemed to be attached. There was no one. The castle shimmered, going from beautiful to long abandoned ruins. She gasped, seeing people that had been petrified into stone. Running up to one, nearly tripping in her haste, she saw that it was Hana.

"No!" she gasped, horrified. Going to each statue, she found that each one was someone dear to her. Mei, then Yumiko, Rin, Karin. Her parents followed, and then the last statue. Tears sprang to her eyes and trailed down her pale cheeks as she trembled, terror and agony wracking her thin frame. "No, Kazuma..." she whispered. Her heart broke in two as she knelt in the dust of the ruins at the feet of her love.

In reality, while she dreamed, tears dripped onto her pillow, and Luna was unable to wake her.

The dreamscape changed, and Usagi found that she was somewhere different, a starry field stretched in front of her. Turning, she found that she was once again alone. In her Senshi fuku, she started walking forward, walking along a vast passageway. Her footsteps echoed, and she walked, walking and walking, until she came to the end. A massive shining bowl stretched out in front of her, and she realized that she had tears in her eyes from the beauty of it, and from the loneliness that she felt. She was scared; she knew this was the last thing she would see before her death. Turning, she saw that, at last, she was not alone. Chaos stood there, and Usagi sighed, closing her eyes. She seemed to change, her Senshi fuku becoming a Princess gown, and a silver crescent moon shining on her forehead. A silvery crystal appeared out of her chest, shaped like a rose.

"Take it, take all of it..." she whispered, tears streaking down her cheeks. "I have no more to give but myself..."

Usagi tossed and turned, whimpering as she slept. They were worse now than they had ever been before. And in all of them, she was alone, so very very alone.

Kazuma didn't leave his room for the next three days. Not while someone else was out and about in the house. He also didn't answer any knocks that came to his door. If he ate- it wasn't when anyone else saw.

Karin was unusually quiet as well. She didn't seem her usual cocky and confident self. She was quiet and withdrawn.

For Usagi, those three days passed with her in a relatively worn out state. She wasn't getting enough sleep because of the nightmares, and thus, was rather withdrawn herself. Mei had asked, but Usagi had insisted that she was fine, so no one asked after that. If Usagi didn't want to tell them, then they figured they would find out later on. The night of the third day, Usagi lived through the worst nightmares yet.

"Luna! Artemis! Anybody? Please..." Usagi sobbed, her voice echoing through the massive ballroom she found herself in once again. Once again, she was in the elegant gown, and once again, she was all alone. Finding her way outside, she expected to find what she had before, but instead, she found something even more horrifying. Fire rained down from the skies, and cries of agony were heard from everywhere. The giant castle and ballroom were burning, and while it had been empty while she was in there, it was now full of panicked people, screaming in pain and terror as they tried to find a way out. "No... No!" she half whispered, half shouted to herself. "Moon Prism Power, Make Up!" She held her broach above her head, but instead of turning into Sailor Moon, it shattered. "What?! No, please don't do this!" she whispered to the shards of the broach. They dug into her hands as she fell to her knees, drawing blood.

In reality, Usagi's broach, which had been sitting on the desk, shattered as well. As far as noise went, it was fairly quiet. But the broken aura that spilled out from it was enough to awaken even Luna.

The dreamscape whirled around her as her blood hit the ground, and all she could hear was laughter. From all sides, evil laughter chased her, down the corridors of the twisted mansion, and out into the trimmed courtyards. Her beautiful white gown was stained with her blood, the shards of her broken broach somehow pinned to it as well. Covering her ears with her hands and closing her eyes, she tripped, stumbling and falling. The shards drove themselves into her knees, causing her to scream from the agony. Tears streaked down her face. Words started to become known in her mind, as if someone was actually talking to her.

"You're nothing but a failure, a burden, useless. Why do you still insist on living? You suck Usagi, just go DIE!" The evil laughter started to echo in her head, and she curled up in a ball, sobbing, trying to get away from it.

"Help..." she moaned. "Help me!"

Luna meowed plaintively when Usagi started to talk in her sleep.

"Help..." she moaned quietly, tears shining on her pale face. "Help me!"

Kazuma and Karin had both been sleeping when the broach broke- and both sat up with a start when the felt the shift in auras.

Kazuma felt the wrongness coming from Usagi's room and worry won over his lingering anger. He got up and ran up the stairs to her room not even bothering to knock on the door.

As he opened the door, Karin opened hers and stood in the doorway to Usagi's room, watchful and cautious.

Kazuma knelt on the bed beside her. "Usagi. Usagi wake up!" he called. When she didn't wake, he grabbed her shoulders and shook her, firmly but not hard. "Usagi!"

Usagi gasped, as if struggling for air, looking around wildly.

"The people!" she said frantically. "All those people. Burning, trampled, dieing... I couldn't save them!" Her eyes were wide, and she didn't seem to notice that Kazuma was there. "I couldn't save them! Everyone was dead, and I was so alone..." In that instant, her eyes met Kazuma's and the dam broke. She broke into uncontrollable sobs, terror and remembered agony from pain and inability to fight making her entire body tremble as she curled up as far as she could go, wanting to just disappear and make the pain end. "All those people..."

Kazuma sighed, the last bits of anger he held towards her fading and he picked her up and placed her in his lap, rocking her gently and stroking her hair. "Shhh... It's alright Usagi. It was a dream," he told her quietly.

Karin decided this was a good time to shut the door, though she did stay just outside in case Kazuma needed her. The feeling of wrongness was still there.

Usagi sobbed for what seemed hours, but was only about thirty minutes. She quieted eventually, then gave a shuddering sigh.

"It felt so real... Especially when my broach broke..." she whispered. Looking up, she suddenly realized the feel of wrongess as well. "Oh no..." Looking over at the desk, she saw the shattered remains of her broach, and she bit her lip, trying to keep from crying again. "Kazuma... It's broken..." She was unwilling to pull herself from him, but she had to. She had to go to the desk and pick up the shards. Holding them in her hands, she fell to her knees, her head bowed. She clenched her fists and looked away as the shards dug into her hands, drawing blood, just as they had in her dream. "I AM a failure..." she whispered, defeated.

"Usagi!" He grabbed her hands, forcing them open. "No you are not Usagi. There are some things happening now that are beyond our control. This is one of them." He looked to Luna. "Do you know of any reason this would happen?" he asked, forcing Usagi to keep her hands open before she could do more damage to herself.

Luna shook her head, mortified.

"In all my days, I've never seen a broach shatter," she said, sounding just a bit frantic. "It might be something to do with how time has been warped." She looked worriedly at Usagi, who was looking down at her hands, her eyes glazed over as she stared at the broken shards. "There is something seriously wrong here. I don't know what has been stalking Usagi-chan in her dreams, but this is the first night she's actually had anything happen in both the dream world and here." Usagi suddenly seemed animated again, and she looked up at Kazuma.

"Please, please don't leave..." she begged, her body trembling as she dropped the shards to the floor. "They'll turn you to stone and shatter you! They'll make me watch... Don't leave!"

"Ssshh. Usagi I'm right here," he told her, kissing her forehead. "I'm not going anywhere," he promised, still holding her hands to protect them from the shards she seemed determine to permanently embed there.

Throwing the shards against the wall, Usagi pulled her hands away, putting her face in her hands. The shards hit with a tinkling sound, making Usagi jump, as if she hadn't thrown them only seconds before.

"They told me to die. That I had let all those people down... That I was the reason that everyone was dead..." she sobbed. She sounded broken, stomped on and defeated. "It's all my fault..."

"Usagi!" Kazuma caught her face and lifted it. She needed to be distracted. And so far he'd found one good method of doing that. He kissed her, not holding back as he usually did with his feelings of desire, or his need for her.

Usagi's eyes widened, then closed as she leaned into the kiss. A warm glow surrounded the couple as they kissed, and the bedroom melted away. Their clothes changed, Usagi's nightgown becoming her elegant Princess dress, and Kazuma's pajamas becoming a set of Princely looking armor. As the kiss ended, Usagi opened her eyes. They were clear for the first time since Kazuma had woken her that night, and they were full of happiness. Realizing that they were in her room anymore, she looked around. They were in a beautiful courtyard, rosebushes blooming all around them.

"What...?" she started to ask, but an orb of light began to glow between them. It condensed into a heart-shaped broach, and it opened to reveal a circular space. Instantly knowing what to put there, Usagi pulled out the crescent moon wand that Luna had given her. The Silver Crystal that had formed out of her pure tears was plucked from the base and put into the broach.

"That broach is formed by the power of your love," came a voice, and a woman walked up who looked much like Usagi.

"Who are you?" she asked, very much confused.

"I am your mother Serenity, Queen Clarity. Right now, for this instant, you two are safe from Chaos here on the Moon. But I must send you back, or poor Luna will be very worried." Clarity smiled sadly. "I am so sorry that this is the first meeting we have had since your birth my darling Serenity, but now you know that it has been for your own safety. Chaos has been searching for you since before you were born..." Usagi reached out to Clarity as the rosebushes began to shimmer. "My darling Serenity... Please keep her safe Prince Dymion..." Those were the last words as the Moonscape faded to the bedroom, and Usagi's dress faded to her nightgown, Kazuma's armor to his pajamas.

"My mother..." Usagi said softly, holding the heart-shaped broach to her chest. Looking at Kazuma, it was evident that her eyes were still clear, and she wouldn't be possessed by the nightmares anymore, for the moment at least. The feeling of wrongness was gone as well, banished by the warm light that the young couple had created. Holding out the broach so that Kazuma could see, Usagi tried to smother a yawn. Having been worn out and exhausted for days, she was tired, and her body wanted sleep. She crawled forward a slight ways, curling up in Kazuma's lap. "I'm sorry..." she apologized softly, slowly falling asleep there as she held on to him, and clasped the broach against her heart. The apologetic statement held everything that she'd wanted to say since she'd left the house three days before, lying to him about where she'd gone. Luna sighed, laying down on the bed and watching the two.

"I think that it was Chaos who was tormenting her, Kazuma," she said finally. "I don't like this situation at all..."

"Neither do I," Kazuma told her quietly. He held onto Usagi for a minute more and then lay her down on her bed, slipping silently from the room.


	11. Chapter 10

Karin was still in the hallway but she had relaxed considerably. She glanced over at Kazuma when he came out. "What happened?" she asked quietly.

He sighed. "Kind of complicated... come on, let's go downstairs." Once they were downstairs and seated beside each other on the couch Kazuma told her a bit about what happened. He had to tell her he'd kissed Usagi, knowing if he tried to hide it she'd DEFINITELY make an issue of it.

Karin sat in silence, listening to his story. "Chaos... is getting bolder faster than we anticipated. I need to go and talk to the others, let them know what's happening."

Kazuma nodded. "I think we should also consider looking for the outer Senshi before too much longer. But I won't suggest it until you get the 'all powerful's approval."

"She's going to get frustrated with you again if you keep calling her that. You know she hates it," Karin pointed out, heading for the door.

A week more passed without incident, and Usagi slowly got back to her normal self: cheerful and full of energy. It was as if when Chaos left, it took all of the anxiety and stress Usagi had felt with it. The dance was coming up soon, and Usagi was really looking forward to it. Kazuma's bruises had healed by now, and Usagi was planning a surprise for the night of the dance.

The night of the dance dawned clear and cool, and Usagi was up in her room, finishing getting ready. Her hair was down, wavy and gorgeous. On her head, she wore a small silver tiara. White eye shadow barely dusted her eyes, and she had on some red lipstick. Her dress was floor length, and strapless, white fading into a gorgeous deep blue color. The bottom of the dress was slightly sheer, showing off the white dancing slippers she would be wearing. A white shawl lay on her bed, waiting for her to slip it over her shoulders. Turning, she smiled at Luna.

"So, do I look like a Princess?" she asked, twirling slightly. Luna was purring.

"You look beautiful Usagi-chan," she said. "Just make sure to tuck your broach into your purse." Usagi nodded solemnly. Just because things had been tame for a little while didn't mean that nothing would happen. Kissing the top of Luna's head, Usagi smiled and opened the door of her room, then went to the top of the stairs and started to walk down. She'd felt Kazuma's aura downstairs already, and knew that he was waiting for her.

Kazuma stood outside the kitchen talking to Karin, who was holding a pair of boutonnieres still in their clear boxes. They both turned when Usagi came down the stairs. Karin grinned and Kazuma's eyes widened in awe. He wore a dark blue suit, with a high collar neck and silver embroidery swirling over his chest. His shoes were a pair of tall dark brown boots that went up to his knees and he wore a cape that was dark blue with red on the underside.

"You look gorgeous," he told her softly. Taking one of the boutonnieres from his sister, Kazuma slipping it onto her wrist. The flower was a blue rose surrounded by small delicate white flowers with silver ribbon.

Karin handed Usagi the one that she was to put on Kazuma. "I have to get a picture of this," she told them, beaming as she rushed up the stairs and came bounding back down with a camera. "Smile," she told them.

Karin took dozens of photos it seemed and when she finished she gave them a grin. "I know some people who will love to see these."

Usagi blushed when Kazuma took in every detail, but smiled happily when he complimented her.

"You look quite amazing yourself," she answered, reaching up on her tiptoes to kiss him. "And the roses are beautiful." When Karin finished taking all the pictures and started talking about someone who would like to see them, she tilted her head, curious. "Who?" she asked.

"Our parents." she answered simply before skipping over to the couch and flipping over it to land on it with a flop. (It was more a hand spring over the back.) "You kids have fun now. Be safe."

Kazuma sighed. "Come on," he told her, leading her out the front door- where a limo waited for them unbeknownst to her.

Usagi gasped as she saw the limo, her eyes wide as she stopped short, then looked up at Kazuma.

"Really?" she asked excitedly. She took his hand and reached up, kissing him. She beamed happily as they climbed into the back, and she sat against him, her head resting on his shoulder. "Kazuma, you're amazing," she whispered, looking back up at him again, he silver eyes luminous in the dim light of the back of the limo.

Kazuma chuckled, kissing her forehead. "It's just a limo Usagi. We haven't even gone to dinner yet," he told her.

Dinner was on the top floor of a ritzy hotel. Somehow he'd gotten a reservation even though there was only two weeks' notice on his part. They were seated beside a window overlooking Crystal Tokyo. "Order whatever you'd like," he told her. It was the sort of restaurant that didn't have the prices on the menu.

Usagi's eyes were wide as she took in the sights and views. Hearing him, she looked at the menu.

"Oh my..." She perused the menu for a few moments before deciding on something. "The salmon sounds really good." She looked up at him, her entire face lit up. "Kazuma, you're making this whole night fantastic."

He smiled. "Well considering we got over a few days of cold war about a week ago- I figured I probably should," he told her. The morning after her broach had been destroyed and recreated, Kazuma had sat her down and talked to her, telling her WHY he'd gotten so angry and why she couldn't do that sort of thing again. 'If you want to avoid me fine- but you have to make sure SOMEONE that can protect you is with you. Remember- you are their primary target. And even if I am royally pissed at you- it would still kill me if anything happened to you.'

He placed their orders when the waiter came and then looked out the window, watching the lights of the city below.

Usagi watched him, observing his face as she did. She smiled, happy to just be with him. Their food came soon after, and they ate, then went back out to the limo and made their way to the dance.

"Wow, Usagi, you look gorgeous!" Rin gasped as she saw the couple walk up. "And Kazuma, that is quite the outfit." She smiled when Usagi blushed and saw the girl's grip on Kazuma's hand get a little tighter. Rin's own gown was red, almost like a movie star's red carpet dress. Mei walked up, her shimmering golden gown swirling about her like fog on a cold night.

Yumiko wore a shorter blue dress that was covered in shiny beams over her torso. "Very nice," she complimented. She was on the arm of the guy they'd caught a glimpse of at the amusement park, though it seemed he'd decided to either wear contacts or just go without his glasses. He smiled. "It's nice to meet all of you. Yumi-chan hasn't stopped talking about you lately."

Yumiko shrugged with a giggle and whispered something in her boyfriend's ear that caused the faintest of blushes to spread on his cheeks.

Hana wore a pink full length dress with mint green trim and a sheer green skirt over the skirt of the pink dress. "Hello," she greeted politely.

Kazuma offered his hand to the other guy. "I'm Kazuma," he introduced.

"Ryugi," he answered, taking the offered hand.

Usagi smiled and gave each girl a hug.

Later on in the night, there was a slow dance, one of a few, but this one seemed special. The song playing was called Tuxedo Mirage, and it struck a chord in her heart that made her feel unusually romantic.

"Thank you Kazuma," she whispered, standing on her tiptoes to kiss him before he led her onto the dance floor. They just swayed to the music, and she was pressed up against him, her head resting on his chest. A rumble sounded from outside, but it sounded like thunder, so everyone ignored it. Suddenly, the wall burst in, showering everyone with bits of rubble.

Dark Mercury walked through the hall. "So sorry to crash you're party," she said quietly, her tone dark and threatening. "But not really." She saw Usagi, and then glanced around for the other scouts, already walking steadily towards her.

Kazuma shifted, blocking Usagi from Dark Mercury. "Go. Quickly. Everyone's panicking right now, and seeing you transform wouldn't help. Change quickly and get the girls to do the same. I'll hold her off till you get back," he whispered, his lips barely even moving.

Usagi nodded, turning and motioning for the others to follow her. Once they were somewhere quiet and free from people, they transformed.

"Moon Cosmic Power!"

"Mars Power!"

"Mercury Power!"

"Jupiter Power!"

"Venus Power!"

"Make Up!" Everyone transformed, and soon were in their each respective fuku. Sailor Moon looked down at her new one, seeing that it was mostly purple. Shrugging, not really intent on figuring out why it had changed so much, she promptly forgot about it. Instead, she led the others towards the gymnasium, where Dark Mercury had pinned Kazuma to the floor.

"Oh, you're a handsome young man..." she purred, leaning close to him. She licked her lips. "I might have to steal you from your precious Princess..." A chill of foreboding went down Kazuma's spine as he struggled to kick her off of him. Her eyes flashed as she felt Sailor Moon and the others run back into the room. Standing and picking him up by the collar, she threw him into the wall, and, thinking that she had effectively knocked him out, stalked towards the quintet of Senshi.

"Kazuma..." Sailor Moon whispered, her eyes growing hard as steel as she looked up at Dark Mercury. "Why do you keep doing this?!" Dark Mercury laughed, the sound sending shivers down Mars' spine.

"Why do you keep trying? Haven't you learned anything?" she hissed at Sailor Moon. Sailor Moon faltered, taking a step back. Venus gave her a worried look, but glared at Dark Mercury.

"Sailor Moon is better than you could ever be!" she said, and held up a hand. "Crescent Beam!" Dark Mercury dodged, coming straight at them.

"Oh, but she's not. She'll tell you..." Dark Mercury purred, and Sailor Moon took another step back, shaking her head and raising her hands to her face. Her head hurt, badly.

"No..." she moaned, the images flashing past in front of her eyes. "Not again..."

An arrow shot at Dark Mercury from behind, Moonlit Archer now standing there with his bow at the ready and his quiver full of usable arrows. "Back away now!" he ordered, firing another shot followed but a quick second that forced Dark Mercury to dodge away from Sailor Moon.

She glared at him. "Didn't throw you hard enough it seemed," she muttered then leveled her sword at him. Archer dodged to the side as she swung at him and soon managed to get himself between Dark Mercury and the girls. He glanced behind him to see if Moon was okay

Sailor Moon shook her head, somehow the images broken and she being able to see again. Seeing Archer looking at her, she gave him a little smile, and then held a hand out. Her crescent moon wand appeared in her hand, and she leveled it at Dark Mercury. The Silver Crystal popped out of her broach and settled into the crook of the crescent moon, and Sailor Moon smiled. Something about Dark Mercury was screaming for this, but another part was yelling to get away. She could sense that from the older woman. Tracing a small circle in the air, she pointed the wand at Dark Mercury, and a warm light radiated out, reaching for the corrupted Senshi. Dark Mercury hissed in anger, leaping out of the way and out the ruined wall. Sailor Moon lowered the wand, the Silver Crystal floating back into her broach. She shook her head again, raising a hand to massage her temples.

"Stay with her," he instructed the girls the moment Dark Mercury left out the wall. He got up and rushed out after her, an arrow notched just to be safe.

He returned about thirty minutes later as Kazuma.

Usagi was waiting for him, and she ran up to him, throwing her arms around his waist.

"Kazuma, where did you go?" she asked. Her dress was slightly ripped, and her hair a tad tangled, dust from the rubble covering her like pixie dust. Her eyes were wide as she looked up at him, and only faint traces of pain showed as she was ignoring the massive headache that was building behind her eyes.

He stroked her hair. "I tried to follow Dark Mercury. Managed to for a ways even after she dropped her transformation... but then she just vanished on me..." he told her. "You alright? You look like you're hurt," he told her, worry clouding his blue-green eyes.

"Just my head," Usagi said cheerfully. "A slight headache, that's all. That stinks that she just vanished like that though..." Shaking her head and hugging Kazuma, she sighed. "I could feel the two halves of her screaming... The good half wants to be healed and sent back to her own time. The evil half wants to stay and kill me, to destroy everything here..." She shivered. Somehow, the shawl that she'd been wearing had gotten lost, and the night was cooler than it had been before. Her headache seemed to be growing worse and worse, and random images kept flashing past in front of her. Shaking her head and blinking a few times, she looked back up at Kazuma, smiling. "Well, at least we got to dance a little bit tonight."

He watched her for a moment and the grabbed hold of his cape, unclasping it and then putting it around her before picking her up. "You are not doing well at all. We're going home now."

He nodded to the two girls that were still there, Mei and Hana and then left carrying Usagi. He found the limo easily enough and put her inside, telling the driver to head back to his house. He then started to give her neck and scalp a gentle massage, using a bit of his power to try and help- he wasn't sure it would work well for a headache.

Usagi hummed quietly, enjoying the massage. It was making her feel all tingly. Closing her eyes, she relaxed, or tried to. The images flashed past her closed eyes again, imprinting on her lids. Gasping, her eyes flew open, and she was just tense all over again.

"It's like something is trying to burrow in, planting false memories..." Her voice trembled as she hugged herself. Her face was pale, and she looked as if she would be sick. "The images... They're horrible..." She shivered, hunching forward. "The people... All those people..."

Kazuma hugged her, wishing he could help her more.

They got back to the house and he bid her goodnight before going to his sister's room.

"Rough time?" she asked quietly.

He nodded, taking a seat on the floor beside her bed. "I need your help with making a charm. Something that can help keep her safe when she's not in the house."

"And to help with those nightmares of hers? And the visions?"

Kazuma looked up at her sharply. "How-?"

"How else," she went to her desk and pulled out a box. Inside was a necklace, a gold sun with a silver crescent moon overlaying it. There was a vine carved into the silver and the gold as if holding them together. "She said that you'd just need to use you're protective feelings and a bit of your power to finish it so it's meant for her." she told him.

Kazuma took the pendant- which was about the side of an American half dollar, and closed his hand over it, concentrating. The vines turned green on the pendant and he stood, going to Usagi's room and hanging the pendant on the door.

Karin handed him a note. 'Wear this with you at all times. it will help protect you.' It looked very similar to his handwriting, but he knew that it wasn't simply because he knew he hadn't written it. He slid the note under the door.

Usagi slept soundly that night, the charms that protected the house helping to keep Chaos at bay. Yawning as she woke, she checked her phone. A mass text had been sent out to students that said school was out for the week, until the investigation of the 'explosion' in the gymnasium was complete. Sighing, she rubbed the back of her head and walked over to her door. Spotting the pendant hanging on the doorknob, she reached out to touch it. A note caught her eye, and she picked it up, reading it. Smiling, she took the pendant and put it on, then went out of her room, towards the bathroom. With school closed for the week, she intended to sleep in a little bit. So, she used the toilet and then went back to her room, snuggling under the covers. It seemed that Kazuma had already left, so she would have to ask him later. She sighed and fell asleep once again, smiling happily to herself.

Later on that day, Usagi was dressed and ready to go. She texted Hana, wanting to go somewhere. Without Kazuma there, or Karin, she was stuck alone, and she was a tad bored. She felt eyes on her, and whirled, then shook her head, finishing brushing her hair and putting it up in her usual buns.

"Hana, wanna go shopping for a bit? You can bring Kyo if you need to," the text read.

'Well he's still in school- so we could pick him up in a bit,' Hana answered.

There was the sound of doors crashing open and orders being shouted.

"Take her to the back bed! No! Yes! That bed. Move it people!" It seemed that their dad was quite busy at the clinic that was run from the add on to the house. And he seemed to suddenly be very busy. The sound of sirens could be heard outside. "Hey! Anyone home?!" he shouted into the house, having opened the door that connected the clinic to the house.

Usagi ran to the door, her eyes wide.

"I'm here. What's going on?" she asked. She tried to figure it out by peering around him, then got Hana's text. Quickly, she texted her friend back.

"Actually, it seems that Kazuma's dad needs some help in the clinic and I'm the only one home," she said. "Sorry..." Looking back up, she looked at Kazuma's dad.

"Do you need any help?" she asked sincerely. A slight headache was starting to build behind her eyes, but she ignored it. A dark aura was close, and she felt that if she could, she would at least protect Kazuma's family while he was gone.

"Do you get sick at the sight of blood? Do you have any first aide training?" he asked her quickly.

Already they were bringing in two other people behind him.

"I have some minor first aide training," Usagi answered, going over to a sink and washing her hands. Her hair was already up in her customary buns, and her pendant was tucked inside her shirt. Turning, she smiled. "Blood doesn't scare me in the slightest." The dark aura was getting stronger, and so was her headache. An image flashed past her vision and she shook her head, shaking it away. Kazuma experienced the same vision in the same instant, but she didn't know that. Smiling up at his father, she held up her clean hands. "Tell me what to do sir," she said.

"We just had an accident with a bus, a lot of passengers were hurt. We're the closest clinic so we got the critical patients," he told her, then started to order her to take care of other patients and what needed to be done till he could get to them. He went to the first girl, a girl with odd looking cuts on her body. "God... they said she was hit by the bus... that's not what it looks like..." he muttered, tending to the wounds on the girl as fast as he could.

Two women rushed in. "Sorry, Doctor, that we took so long," one said, rushing around the room.

"It's fine! Is everything else taken care of?"

"Yes. All other patients have been sent to a different clinic or the hospital."

Usagi nodded and went about her work, cleaning and bandaging all the wounds that she could, getting ice for bruises, splinting broken arms and generally making sure that she was helping. As long as she was helping, she could ignore the horrible headache. Soon, there was no one left to help, and she was looking rather pale. Images kept flashing by, and she shook her head a couple times.

"Everyone is taken care of," Usagi said, turning and going back into the house. She held onto the wall and closed the door behind her, then made her way as far as she could towards the stairs before she fell to her knees. Her breathing was shallow, and a low moan of pain escaped her. Kazuma wasn't home yet, nor was Karin. Usagi had had some glimpses of her aura and thought that maybe she was the other half of the Earth star seed, but she wasn't positive. The dark aura was right outside, and suddenly the door opened. A blonde haired woman walked in and grabbed Usagi by her throat, lifting her up. A scream of pain was ripped from Usagi at the physical contact; the visions and the pain blinded her. She was barely able to lift her hands to try to get free from the hand that was strangling her. "How...?!" she gasped, wondering how Dark Venus had actually found her.

Dark Venus grinned with all the hatred in her heart practically bleeding from her eyes. "I was only having a bit of fun with that girl, and what do you know- she led me straight to you. Who would have guessed you were hiding here under all of these auras," she said, squeezing harder. "And what's even better- there is no one here to save you know."

Kazuma shook his head, trying to clear out the images that kept flashing in front of him. It had started about 20 minutes ago, and after 5 minutes he'd given up on staying at school and started making his way home. When he was about 4 blocks away he felt something suddenly shift to being wrong in his domain. "No..." he breathed and broke into a dead run for the house.

Usagi was literally gasping for air. She was staring past Dark Venus, not seeing the woman, but instead the visions of the dead that kept filtering past her eyes along with black spots. Tears streaked down her face as she weakly tried to pull away.

"You're in pain..." she gasped, trying to get the woman to drop her. "I can feel it..." She was getting weaker and weaker, and she knew that soon she would pass out. Kazuma's father was in the clinic treating patients, and probably hadn't even heard her scream. "Your good self... Battling against the evil... That has taken your heart..." She coughed, her struggles slowing. "I... can't..." Her eyes started to flutter closed, her breathing getting shallower, her hands falling limply to her sides. The agony from her head was too much, and she wasn't getting the air she needed. The visions still flashed by, even with her eyes half closed.

Dark Venus' wrist was suddenly grabbed- she'd been so focused on Usagi, with a rough twist that nearly broke her wrist. She was forced to let go of her captive, and before she could even try to break free of that hold, her shoulder was grabbed and her arm was slammed down on a knee, breaking the elbow.

Dark Venus screamed in pain and as she stumbled backwards, she was kicked hard in the gut sending her rolling back into the wall. She looked up through tear filled eyes at her assailant.

It was Kazuma- he hadn't even transformed- and his expression was dark with burning rage. He stood between her and Usagi.

Feeling a ripple of terror that shocked her, Dark Venus staggered to her feet, clutching her arm and then fled the house.

Once she was out of his domain, Kazuma dropped to the ground beside his love. "Usagi! Usagi!" He picked her up in one arm, cradling her against him as he knelt on the floor beside her, his other hand over her throat to heal the damage done there.

As Dark Venus dropped her, Usagi fell to the floor, laying limply, having fallen unconscious from lack of air and the agony in her head. As Kazuma healed her only moments later, she took a shuddering breath, her eyes fluttering open. The visions were gone, the dark aura that had triggered them gone now as well. The pain in her head was gone, and she could see clearly, think clearly. Still weak, she struggled to sit up, unaware of whom was holding her, what was going on. A sob wracked her body, and she whimpered, her hand going to her neck. Realizing now that someone was there, she looked up, her eyes shimmering with tears, and saw Kazuma.

"Kazuma..." Her voice was hoarse, and she still looked pale, but some color was coming back to her cheeks.

Kazuma let out a shaky breath when she started to move. "Shh... She did a lot of damage to you honey. Just be still," he whispered, his voice trembling with emotion. He'd thought for one terrifying moment he'd been too late. "I'm so sorry Usagi," he whispered, tears welling up in his own eyes. He wanted to hug her, but healing her was more important at the moment- so he contented himself with just holding her close as he did so.

Usagi blinked as his eyes filled with tears. When he started to apologize, she shook her head, reaching up and resting a hand on his cheek. She didn't want to see him beat himself up over this.

"If I'd gone out with Hana instead of helping your dad in the clinic, this probably wouldn't have happened," she said softly. The shock was starting to wear off, and she was starting to tremble slightly. She realized that he was just holding her there in his lap, and she tried to sit up again, wanting nothing more than to be pressed against him. "It's my fault..." She sighed. "And I think the dark aura of her canceled out the protection of the pendant... I wasn't able to do anything to defend myself..."

He shook his head but stopped arguing with her over whose fault it was. As soon as he finished healing her throat he hugged her tightly against him. This wasn't working. They couldn't seem to keep her safe. He'd have to start trying to press harder against the others to start stepping up. He had school- he couldn't be with her all the time. And they were getting bolder. This house wasn't going to be safe anymore either now that they knew she was here. He'd have to find another location. And he knew of one other place that couldn't be safer for her. But he'd have to fight to get permission to take her there. "Usagi..." he whispered, his arms tightening around her.

Usagi took a shaky breath, determined not to cry. She clung to Kazuma, listening to his heartbeat, imagining her own.

"I was so scared... She touched me, and I felt like my head exploded..." Usagi shivered, hiding her face against his chest.

"I'm sorry," he whispered in response.


	12. Chapter 11

Usagi woke early the next morning. Luna had been out the night before, and hadn't come back until late because of her meeting with Artemis. When she got back, Luna had talked to Kazuma, and learned of the day's events. She'd offered to take Usagi to their base, secreted in a small game shop nearby, but had been turned down. Usagi knew none of this, but she could feel the distinct sadness that had overcome the house. She sighed, getting up and going about her morning routine, then sat on her bed and texted Hana.

"Let's try and go shopping today. I want to get out of the house and do something," she said. She would tell her friend later about what had happened the day before. "Maybe we can get some cake."

'Sure! I'll meet you at the station okay?' Hana answered.

Kazuma was in deep conversation with Karin downstairs. though from the outside someone wouldn't know it as they stared at each other... well... glared at each other really. Despite the glare they were loosely holding each other's hand.

'I'm telling you it's not time yet!'

'And I'm telling you if you don't MAKE it time soon then it will be too late!'

'It's not my call!'

'But you won't even talk to her! Tell her I need her to start moving!'

'She won't move because an Earth Prince wants her to!'

'This Earth Prince is trying to keep the Moon Princess alive! Why are you being stubborn?! I told you what happened and you're still fighting me on this!'

'You're over reacting because that Moon Princess happens to be your girlfriend!'

And so the argument continued

Usagi walked downstairs and saw the two, and she bit her lip. They looked like they were fighting, but she wasn't sure how.

"Um.. Kazuma," she said, and he looked up at her. She was holding her purse and her phone was in her hand. Luna had looped herself about her shoulders as she'd walked down the stairs. "I'm going to meet Hana at the train station to go shopping. I kinda wanna just hang out with her for a little while instead of being cooped up in the house. I figured I should let you know before I left." She held her phone out to him. "I promise I'm telling the truth."

Kazuma released his sister's hand after giving a quick 'We're finishing this later.' "I don't need to check," he told her, moving around the couch. "I'll walk you to the station if that's okay though," he told her, giving her a smile. As long as she was with someone else that was okay. It would give enough time for others to come as well.

Usagi nodded, taking Kazuma's hand.

"It's perfectly fine," she said cheerfully. She knew that it was for her own protection, and she didn't really mind. She knew that she was in danger. But she also enjoyed the time spent with Kazuma. Frowning as a random thought struck her, she looked up at him. "At the sleepover, Hana said something about you and Karin being twins. Is that true? You never told me she was your twin, only that she was your sister," she said. She was only curious, unaware that she might be saying something that might be upsetting.

Hesitation would make her suspicious- but thankfully a faint look of irritation crossed his face when he came to that conclusion. He was after all- irritated with Karin at the moment. "Yeah... she is, and right now I feel I should add unfortunately," he muttered as they headed out the front gate. "Sorry... we're having a disagreement right now," he told her. "Can we change the subject?"

Usagi nodded.

"Yeah. I was just curious," she said with a smile. "I was thinking that she looked a tad too much like you to be just your sister. Anyways. I want to get you something while I'm out today." She grinned happily as she looked up at him. "What would you like?"

He smiled and with a soft chuckle, leaned down, kissing her temple. "Anything that you get me will be fine," he told her.

Usagi pouted playfully, then smiled.

"Well that just means that what I get you will be a surprise!" she said happily. Seeing Hana, Usagi let go of his hand, stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek, then turned and ran the rest of the way to the station. Luna ran beside her, having jumped off her shoulders. "Hana!" Usagi sheered happily, nearly knocking the girl to the ground as she collided against her with a hug. "I'm so happy to see you!" Her silver eyes sparkled as she let go of Hana, and she turned, waving goodbye to Kazuma before looking around. There was a shopping area nearby, so they didn't have to get on the train. "Let's go," she said cheerfully.

That was... enthusiastic... even for her. Hana followed after her, giving Kazuma a slight wave before doing so. After they'd been shopping about fifteen minutes she asked, "Is everything okay? You seem a little... off today... did something happen?"

Usagi sighed, then nodded. Looking at what she was doing, concentrating on trying to find something special for Kazuma, she related to Hana what had happened the day before.

"It scared me... And I think that because those girls are fighting against themselves, as well as us, the pendant and the barriers are confused and just don't work when they're around... It makes my head hurt when they are nearby... Like something is burrowing into my mind to leave those terrible images of the people dying..." she finished softly. Looking up, she saw an antique shop across the street. "Let's go in there," she said, taking Hana's hand and dragging her across the street.

'I have to be extra vigilant!' Hana thought. "You see images when they're around right? Well that means you'll know first when they're close. Tell me right away okay?" she insisted, following her friend to the store.

"I will, I promise," Usagi said with a smile. She turned and gave Hana a hug. "Thank you." Looking around the antique store, she found what she was going to give Kazuma. It was a golden star shaped locket, and when she opened it, it played a beautiful song. Her eyes teared up as she listened to it, the music striking a cord in her heart, making her sad. Looking up, she brushed the tears away. "This is what I'm going to get for Kazuma," she said with a sad smile. In her mind, she knew that the Dark Senshi wanted her dead. And after the close call the day before, she knew that they would get that wish at some point. So she would do as much as she could for everyone, be as cheerful as possible, and maybe they would be less sad when she was gone.

Hana seemed more and more worried for her friend, but she knew asking would be pointless. Usagi wouldn't 'burden' anyone with her worries. She smiled. "It's a pretty song. I'm sure that Kazuma will love it."

Usagi grinned.

"I'm sure he will," she said cheerfully. She went up to the curator of the place and bought the locket. When he asked if she would like a bag, she shook her head, tucking it carefully into her purse. "Thank you sir!" she said happily, and then walked with Hana out of the store. Once they were a little farther down, Usagi faltered, her hand going to her head. "Hana..." she said softly, her eyes full of pain and fear as she looked at her friend.

Hana sent a quick text to Kazuma 'HELP!' and then grabbed Usagi's hand. "We're going to try and get away. Maybe they don't know where you are yet," she told her and started to run.

Kazuma shook his head, trying to clear it of the images that flashed before his eyes. "W-what the-" That had happened before too...

His phone rang and he looked read the message, and then started to run. So then he was seeing these... when Usagi was in trouble? That would be helpful.

As they ran Hana sent out a message to their friends, requesting help. Since Usagi had started touching their auras, they'd started to be able to feel with them as well.

Usagi ran alongside Hana, but the aura got stronger, her head ached worse and worse, until she couldn't move anymore. The images clouded her vision, and there were tears shimmering on her cheeks.

"I can't run anymore," she whimpered, bending over and putting her hands to her head. "They're too close..." Her trembling hand went to her broach. Maybe if she transformed, that would help a little bit. "Moon Cosmic Power, Make Up!" she whispered, and in an instant, she was Sailor Moon. It didn't help at all. If anything, it made it worse. She gasped, going to her knees, her hands on either side of her head as she tried to shut the pain and the images out. Her broach had lost some of its shine, the Silver Crystal clouded over by a black mist as it nestled inside her broach. "Oh..." she whimpered. "All those people... All those people...!"

Hana transformed as well. "Jupiter Power Make Up!" she shouted, and then looked around, standing guard over Sailor Moon.

Kazuma staggered, the images were getting worse for him. "Usagi.." He shook his head and forced himself to continue- relying on his sensing ability to maneuver more than his sight.

Sailor Moon choked back a sob, her entire body trembling as she tried to shut out the images. Her head throbbed, and tears of pain streaked down her cheeks. At that moment, Dark Mars stepped out of the shadows. She chuckled.

"So what Venus said was true. Our presence really does cause you pain. What would happen if I..." She trailed off and kicked Jupiter's legs out from under her, then instantly was at Sailor Moon's side. "If I touched you?" She rested a hand on Sailor Moon's shoulder, which ripped a scream of agony from her throat. The Silver Crystal darkened now, the true indicator that Chaos was there and causing her pain. The images were a scene now, and Sailor Moon could only watch as they all died. Sobs issued from her, and she could only shake her head, her hands over her ears as if to block out the screams of pain from the phantom people that she was seeing. "Stop killing them, please!" she sobbed.

Jupiter kicked at Dark Mars. "Get away from her!" she snapped, "Jupiter Thunder!" she cried, aiming for Dark Mars.

He was close, so Kazuma transformed. He still couldn't see- and the images he did see were making it hard to focus on sensing. He stopped. Like this he'd just get in the way... so what could he do? He tried to think.. they'd started recently for him, right before the last attack. So what had changed? She'd had them before then. That's why he gave- That was it! The charm! It must have connected them. 'Well convenient as it is to know when she's in trouble- it's getting in my way now.' He found the link of power he'd given to the charm and severed it. The images vanished instantly and he hurried on again.

Dark Mars growled in anger and shot a fire arrow at Jupiter, who narrowly dodged. She fired off another, and Jupiter rolled forward then rushed her. When she was only a few feet away she summoned her lightning, sending them both flying back from the aftershock. She'd taken damage but at least she'd managed to finally hit Dark Mars.

Dark Mars staggered back to her feet, cursing. She, with shaking hands, raised her arms, drawing another arrow- however an arrow shot down between her arms.

Glaring she found the source. Archer was there, staring down a drawn arrow at her.

With another curse Dark Mars retreated.

Jupiter sighed, allowing herself to slump to the ground when she did.

Archer jumped down, going to Usagi first. "Were you hurt?" he asked, resting a hand on her shoulder.

Finally able to see again, Usagi looked around. Somehow, her transformation had faltered and fell. Seeing Jupiter on the ground, she scrambled to her side, ignoring Archer's question.

"Hana!" she gasped. Giving her friend a hug, she shoved her own agony away. She didn't care about it anymore. The dark aura was gone, and she would deal with the headache later. "I'm so sorry... I'm absolutely useless..." Looking around at Archer, she reached up and scrubbed away the tears that were still falling from her silver eyes. "All I do is get everyone hurt..." She choked back a sob. "I want to help...! I don't want to hurt anyone..." Looking down, she clenched her hands in her lap, gripping the cloth of her skirt as she did so. Her purse had spilled onto the sidewalk, the locket that she'd bought for Kazuma lying beside it. "I just want to make everyone happy..." she whispered softly.

Kazuma sighed and went over to Hana as well, beginning to heal her wounds up. She seemed more worn then injured.

Hana shook her head. "You've been protecting us for so long Usagi. It's our turn for now. Everything will work itself out in the end. You'll see," she promised quietly with a smile.

Usagi sighed, then nodded after a few seconds.

"Yeah," she agreed quietly. Standing, she went over to her purse and put everything back inside, deciding to give Kazuma his gift later. Now wasn't the proper time. Looking around, she realized that Luna was missing. "Um. Where's Luna?" she asked. "I haven't seen her since.. Since just after the fight started."

Luna was on the moon, talking with Queen Clarity, Usagi's birth mother.

"My Lady, Chaos has done something to Serenity's Silver Crystal. She transformed today, and the Crystal was clouded over," Luna said from Clarity's shoulders. Clarity frowned, worry etched across her beautiful features.

"Perhaps..." she whispered, then walked through the halls of the Millennium Palace towards the Prayer Room. Luna was able to follow her in because she was draped across Clarity's shoulders. Normally, she wouldn't have been able to go in, because she wasn't royalty. Kneeling in front of the Prayer Crystal, Clarity closed her eyes, her hands clasped together as she prayed. A sparkling light rose from the tip of the Crystal, and went to Earth. It centered on Usagi's broach, cleansing the Silver Crystal permanently. Chaos wouldn't be able to use that avenue to try to destroy Usagi anymore. "Luna, that will help until something else even more drastic happens. But the Silver Crystal will never be corrupted again after this moment. I cannot promise that Chaos won't try something else, but for now, Chaos has been stopped. My darling Serenity will be able to do what she needs to get done, and she will be able to function." Luna nodded and leaped off of Clarity's shoulders, bowing when she hit the ground.

"Thank you Queen Clarity," she said, purring. "I will go back to Serenity now and do all that I am able to help keep her safe too." Clarity nodded, bending to lift Luna up and kiss her head before letting her go. Luna leaped away, closing her eyes and transporting back to Usagi's room in Kazuma's house. She was still purring as she curled up on Usagi's bed. "Usagi-chan, I hope that that has helped..." she thought sleepily. The transport had taken a lot out of her, and she was worn out.

The sparkling light hadn't been visible to Usagi and the others, but Usagi suddenly felt a great weight lifted from her shoulders, and the headache was gone in an instant. Frowning in confusion, she shook her head, but went over to Kazuma, taking his hand.

"Thank you for going shopping with me Hana," she said with a smile. "I think Kazuma wants to take me home now though."

"I'm going to need to take Hana home first," he told her, helping Hana to her feet. "She's mostly worn out- and I can't heal that," he told her with a slight smile.

Hana blushed. "Sorry..." she murmured.

Kazuma chuckled. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure Usagi would rather spend a bit more time with you anyway- since it was cut short today. Can you walk on your own?"

Hana nodded. "Yes... you really don't have to walk me back..."

Kazuma sighed and gave her a noogie, causing her to squeak. "I'm walking you home."

"I'm fine with that." Usagi paused, thinking. "Actually, I think I can help a little with that too." She walked over and took both of Hana's hands into her own. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and let some of her energy flow into Hana. After a few seconds, Usagi opened her eyes and smiled at her friend. "There! Now you can recover faster." She grinned and let go of only one of Hana's hands, taking Kazuma's hand in her other hand. "Now, let's get you home," she giggled.

They dropped Hana off then headed back to Kazuma's together, hand in hand. Kazuma seemed a pit preoccupied. If this kept up... he was going to lose her. His brows knit together in frustration and as a deep feeling of fear coursed through him, his grip on her hand tightened without even realizing it. He couldn't lose her. It would break him; he knew it.

Usagi looked up at him, worried. Stopping walking, she made him stop too. Reaching into her purse, she pulled out the locket, holding it up to him with both hands.

"I saw it in the antique store, and I knew that I had to get it for you. There's just something about it..." she said with a soft smile. Clicking it open, she let the song play for a few moments before closing it and putting it in his hands. "The song is somewhat sad, but I think it means something. At least to me it does," she added. She looked up at him, anxiously wondering what he thought of her gift.

He couldn't explain it- it had seemed sad to him too, and tears filled his eyes. He leaned down and kissed her, holding the locket tight in one hand, the other had her about the waist and pulled her against him. He loved her so much. "I'm never going to let you go," he whispered. "I don't care what it costs, I will protect you," he told her softly, his hand moving from her waist to caress her cheek.

Usagi's eyes had filled with tears as they'd kissed, and she clung to Kazuma, unwilling to even entertain the thought of letting go of him.

"Don't leave me..." she whispered desperately, all of her terror and pain all coming crashing down on her in that one instant. Her entire body trembled as she tried to fight the tears, the sobs that wanted to escape. She hid her face against his chest, her body pressed against his as her small frame shook.

"I won't," he told her kissing the top of her head and hugging her. He heard someone cat calling them and looked up slightly without raising his head from hers. There were two guys watching them, smirking. Kazuma's eyes narrowed in a dark glare. They paled and decided it was time to move along.

Usagi had heard the cat calling and was blushing. The moment was dashed, and she kind of let go of Kazuma, looking down at the ground. Her heart was pounding, and her thoughts racing. She'd been about to kiss him again, wanting nothing more than to feel his lips against hers.

"Um.. We should probably head home..." she whispered, starting to walk in that direction. They weren't too far away, but she wanted to be out of the streets, just in case. Once they were home, and she had gone up to her room, she looked up at Kazuma, who had followed her upstairs. She still held his hand, and hadn't let go yet. "Kazuma..." she said softly. Resting her forehead on his chest, she took a deep breath. "Stay with me a little longer? Please?" she asked quietly. Her cheeks were on fire, and she knew that she was blushing intensely. But she really did want him to stay with her. She was still feeling some of the terror that had crashed down on her earlier. Raising a hand, she gripped his shirt gently. "I just don't want to be alone..."

Kazuma had pocketed the locket when she turned to him and he hugged her. Upon hearing her request he smiled slightly, then reaching out he cupped her chin with his hand, raising her head. "Of course," he whispered before kissing her.

Usagi kissed him back, standing on her tiptoes and her arms going around his neck. After the kiss ended, she pulled back a little, her body still mostly against his, her arms still around his neck. Her eyes were half-closed, and she had a happy, almost sensual, smile on her lips.

"I love you Kazuma," she whispered. She'd left her hair down that day, and it flowed behind her.

Kazuma smiled, playing with the down hair and kissed her again. "I love you too," he told her. After he'd kissed her yet again he released her, taking her hand and leading her into her bedroom. He sat on her bed and gently tugged her down into his lap, just holding her, playing with her hair almost absently.

Usagi leaned against him, happy that he hadn't left her alone. She was unable to think of what she would have done if he'd had something to do. Shivering slightly, she clung to him, not wanting to be let go. Worn out from the day, she slowly fell asleep, her head resting in the crook of Kazuma's neck. As she slept, her grip on him grew tighter, as if she was afraid to lose him.

Kazuma shifted so that he could comfortably lay out on the bed with her. He fell asleep, still holding her in his arms.

Karin had intended to talk to Kazuma when he got back, and so, feeling his aura up in Usagi's room, went up there, knocked quietly on the door, then opened it. Seeing the couple asleep on the bed, she smiled, but closed the door and went to her room.


	13. Chapter 12

About a week later, school was back in session, and Usagi grumbled to herself as the teachers piled what seemed to be loads of homework on them. Sighing as she flopped down on the bench next to Hana at lunch, she resting her chin in her hands and her elbows on her knees.

"Do you think they're making up for a week without homework? Or that they think it was caused by us students and taking it out on us, and this is punishment?" she asked grumpily. She'd been up late the night before and STILL hadn't gotten all her homework done.

"I'd imagine a little of both." Hana answered, obviously tired herself. "And they are doing a wonderful job if it is punishment. I doubt any students that are trying to do their homework are getting any sleep. At least you have Karin and Kazuma to help you out."

"Karin is at her job most of the time, and Kazuma is a little preoccupied," Usagi admitted. "Sometimes, I end up helping their dad in the clinic too." She flashed back to that terrible day when Venus had attacked and nearly got away with killing her. She shivered and shook her head, her hand going to the pendant Kazuma had given her. There hadn't been any attacks lately though, so that was good. To her at least. She was scared of what might happen at the next one. "So I have to do it on my own," she finished, making sure that she was back on the same thought path. She sighed, looking at her food and not even feeling remotely hungry. "I just hope that everything is calm for a little while..."

"Don't jinx it," Hana said absently. She finished her lunch. "Let's go. Maybe we can get a few more assignments done with what's left of lunch."

"Yeah yeah..." Usagi muttered, knocking on the tree trunk next to the bench, then stood and stretched, putting her untouched food back in her book bag. "To the library then?" she asked, and started to lead the way. Mei, Rin, and Yumiko were already there, and she and Hana joined them, all five working furiously on their homework.

Later on, they were all walking home from school when Usagi felt a dark aura approaching. She flinched, expecting the headache and the visions, but nothing came. A second dark aura started to approach as well, and she immediately turned to the others.

"Two are coming," she whispered, and they all went into an alleyway, transforming. "Moon Cosmic Power!"

"Jupiter Power!"

"Mercury Power!"

"Mars Power!"

"Venus Power!"

"Make Up!" All five were soon in their Senshi fukus, and they dashed out of the alleyway, just in time to meet two entirely new dark Senshi.

"Who are you?" Sailor Moon gasped. She was wary of the good luck she was having as far as the headaches and visions went, but thankful as well.

"By the guiding light of the wind, I am Sailor Uranus," said the woman who looked to be the older of the two.

"By the guiding light of the oceans, I am Sailor Neptune," said the other. Sailor Moon blinked. These two were dark; she could feel their souls battling. The sounds of the battle were louder than it had been for the dark inner Senshi, who seemed lost and confused instead of truly fighting. These two, they were truly fighting against themselves. Were there others like them?

"Sailor Moon, you are slated to die," they said together, and Dark Uranus took out a sword while Dark Neptune took out a hand mirror.

"Evil Space Sword Blaster!" Sailor Moon barely dodged, a cut appearing on her wrist as she shoved Jupiter and Mars out of the way.

'Careful girls, these two are extremely powerful, especially since they are fighting two battles at once. They seem to be fighting us on both levels,' she said to the others with her aura. It felt almost good to be able to actually fight alongside them again, instead of being a useless lump.

"Dark Ocean Reflection!" Neptune's attack gouged a hole in the ground, and Sailor Moon had to scream at Venus to jump out of the way. Sailor Moon herself was summoning her Crescent Moon Wand, the Silver Crystal nestling itself in the crook of the crescent moon.

"Moonlight Reflection!" she shouted, the light lancing out and blinding the two dark Senshi. "Moon Princess Escalation!" The healing light from the Crescent Moon Wand reached out to the two dark Senshi, but somehow, they managed to dodge AND wind up behind the quintet of Senshi. Knocking Sailor Moon to the ground, Dark Uranus knelt on top of her, her knees digging into Sailor Moon's chest as she held her sword to her neck. Struggling, Sailor Moon actually got a nick on her neck as she tried to shove Dark Uranus away. Dark Neptune was holding the others at bay, lashing out with her fists at any who tried to draw close. Sailor Moon closed her eyes and reached out for Kazuma. It had been going so well; how had they been able to dodge her healing light, especially after she had blinded them?!

"NO! Sailor Moon!" Jupiter cried out. They had to do something.

Kazuma had been on his way to the school, figuring he'd meet Usagi and her friends on their way home. He was feeling paranoid after a week of nothing going wrong. He felt something wrong ahead of him and started to run. The closer he got the more he realized what that wrongness was. There were TWO dark Senshi ahead. He transformed, notching an arrow before he could even see them. When he finally rounded the last corner- he felt Usagi reaching out for him with her aura- and saw the state things were in, he fired one arrow and then another, each going for one of the dark Senshi. He was already notching the other before the first two fully reached their targets.

Dark Uranus and Dark Neptune were immediately on the defensive, looking straight at Archer. Leaving Sailor Moon and the other Senshi, they jumped at him, avoiding his arrows, just barely. Sailor Moon took a deep breath, drawing air into her lungs, rubbing her sore chest. Seeing what had happened, what that distraction might cost her though, she scrambled up, her hand on her Crescent Moon Wand. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and prayed her hardest for this to work. Up on the moon, the Prayer Room brightened to almost blinding because of the power of her prayers.

"Moon Princess Escalation!" she said softly, and the healing sparkling light reached from the Silver Crystal and out to Dark Uranus and Dark Neptune. Before the two could realize what was going on, they were hit. An agonized scream erupted from the both of them, and they fell to their knees. After a few moments, the black in their uniforms turned white, and the other colors grew a bit lighter. They each took a deep breath, then looked at each other. The sword and the mirror shimmered away, no longer needed at the moment, and in the next instant, they were in each other's arms. Uranus kissed Neptune gently before they turned to Sailor Moon. Standing, they walked over to her and knelt in front of her, each taking one of her hands and kissing it.

"Thank you for saving us Princess," Neptune said with a smile.

"Now we can return to our time to wait for our Princess," Uranus added. "I know from your power that she can be saved. We can do nothing more here for you though." A spinning vortex appeared behind them, and they looked at it. Standing, they looked around at the other Senshi. "Take care of your Princess. Stand strong and stay beside her. Everything is centered around her, so always be on your guard," Uranus warned before taking Neptune's hand. They walked together into the vortex, and it spiraled shut behind them. Sailor Moon shivered, her hand going to her neck to touch the small cut that was there. She'd been seconds away from death again... How many times would they do this before they finally finished her off?

Kazuma let out a breath. He finally had something of good news to give his sister. He looked over at Usagi and saw the blood on her neck. A panic settled into his stomach for an instant and he hurried to her. It was just a scratch but he healed it anyway. He smiled. "Well at least that's two we don't have to worry about now. Well done Princess," he took her hand and kissed her fingertips, then looked to the others. They had some bruises and a few cuts. He tended to the girls as well.

Usagi blushed, having let her transformation go only seconds before Kazuma came over to her.

"Thank you," she said. She smiled when she saw that the locket she had given him was in his pocket, and touched a hand to the pendant he'd given her. "Um, Kazuma, we were actually talking about going to get some milkshakes when I felt those two get close to us," she said cheerfully. It was semi-forced, but no one would ever know. "Do you want to come with us?"

Kazuma smiled over his shoulder at her. "So long as your friends don't mind."

"Why would we mind? We're friends too, aren't we?" Yumiko asked, her hands on her hips.

Kazuma chuckled. "Hey- I have a sister- I know better than to just intrude on girl time," he said, putting his hands up in mock defense.

Usagi grinned and went over to take his hands, kissing the top of his head since he was kneeling and finishing taking care of Rin.

"Yeah, it's fine," Rin added with a smile. "Usagi, what place were you thinking of? I can think of a few." Usagi tilted her head to the side, thinking.

"Well, I was thinking of trying that new place over in the Juban shopping district. It looked super nice," she said.

"Then let's go!" Mei said as she threw her hands up in the air and cheered. Usagi helped Kazuma up and took his hand, walking along beside him as the girls all walked clustered around them. They soon arrived at the milkshake shop and got a table. The server came over to take their order. "Banana!" Mei said excitedly, then blushed when she got strange looks from the others. "It's a yummy flavor..." she pouted. Usagi giggled.

"I'll have chocolate," she said, and Rin echoed her sentiment.

"Strawberry for me," Yumiko said.

Hana thought a moment. "Mint chocolate chip."

"Carmel vanilla," Kazuma told him. The guy taking their order looked at Kazuma, and then at the five girls around him, and got a slightly envious look before nodding and leaving to get their orders.

Kazuma looked as well. It was him surrounded by five pretty girls. He choked on a laugh, covering his mouth. 'I will bet money he thought it looked like I had a personal harem,' he thought.

Usagi was looking at one of the little desert menus that were on the table, but looked up once the server had gone.

"So, something interesting happened," she said softly. She didn't think that anyone at the surrounding tables should over hear this particular conversation.

"Oh?" Rin asked, rather surprised. Lately, things had been super interesting, but if Usagi said something was interesting, it must be something different.

"Yes," Usagi said, nodding. "When I felt their auras as they drew closer, I didn't experience anything. No agonizing headache, no horrible visions..." She frowned. "I think something happened after the fight with Dark Mars. I felt as if a weight had been lifted. I didn't realize that it would have anything to do with this..."

Kazuma paused. "That would be nice," he commented. "Let's hope that it says with way." He wondered what could have been the cause, but nothing came to mind. Perhaps... she developed some sort of immunity to it? But would it have been so sudden?

Usagi nodded.

"The headaches were bad, but the visions were even worse," she whispered. Instead of answering Mei's question about what they were about, she shook her head and smiled. "I'm glad that they are gone. I didn't like not being able to help you girls fight." Under the table, she took Kazuma's hand and squeezed it, and then rested her head on his shoulder. Rin smiled.

"Well, at least now we can all work together again. And I must say Usagi, that was amazing today," she added. Mei nodded.

"I never expected them to bow to you though. That was something new!" she said. Usagi blushed a little.

"I think they showed that deference to me because they do that for their Princess. Maybe it's just their way of showing respect," she said softly.

Kazuma squeezed her hand in response. "Probably. It makes sense though, considering who you are," he pointed out.

Their milkshakes arrived and everyone began to nom down on them, enjoying the sweet treat after their first real victory

Usagi nodded, and started to happily drink her milkshake. After everyone was done, they slowly began to part ways, and Usagi held Kazuma's hand as they walked home. She hummed happily, then shrieked when the sky opened up and a cold rain began to pour down on them.

"Run!" she laughed, tugging Kazuma along. Once they were safe under the porch of his house, she shook her head, shaking water out of her eyes. "First rain of the season," she giggled. A shiver shook her and she blinked. "Cold too." Her uniform clung to her body as she turned to unlock the door. "Let's get changed before we catch a cold."

Kazuma wasn't as amused by the rain. It had just come out of nowhere... 'You're being paranoid again,' he told himself, but didn't relax. Paranoia wasn't always a bad thing. "Go ahead and take a bath first," he told her, following her inside, having a very hard time not eying her nicely revealed body with how the uniform clung to her.

Usagi nodded and gave Kazuma a kiss on the cheek before going up stairs and grabbing her bath things. She went to the bathroom and ran a warm bath, sighing contentedly as she sank into the warm water.

"This is nice," she said softly to herself, washing her body and then closing her eyes to just relax a little bit. Instead of getting dressed, she just put on her pajamas: a pair of shorts and one of the t-shirts she'd managed to steal from Kazuma. Walking out of the bathroom, she dried her hair on the way back to her room. Humming as she started to brush her hair, she gasped when she saw a face in the mirror. Whirling, she turned to see if someone was behind her. There wasn't. The woman had looked exactly like her with heart shaped buns and large luminous eyes. But her hair had been completely black, and she had had an evil expression on her face. A little shaken, Usagi went back to brushing her hair, but soon pushed it from her mind. Nothing to worry about. She decided that she wouldn't tell Kazuma. He seemed rather worried enough lately as it was.

Kazuma waited till he heard her go back to her room before taking a bath himself. Changing into a simple tee shirt and some sweats he went out and knocked on Usagi's door. Karin was out and their Dad had left the day before for a conference.

"Coming!" Usagi called, setting down her brush and then opening the door. Seeing Kazuma, she grinned, putting her arms around his neck and kissing him before letting him in. Luna was asleep on her pillow in the corner, so she obviously didn't care. "Hey there handsome," she said teasingly, flopping onto the bed.

Kazuma looked at her. "You look rather nice in my shirt," he told her, smiling. It did funny things to him and he had to work to keep his mind on the straight and narrow path rather than veering off on a random side street like it wanted. Say fantasy street for example. He took a seat as well, sighing. He felt a bit tired, but not so run down that he couldn't function. Still, he grabbed her and flopped them both back on the bed so they were laying down with her in his arms. His eyes were closed and he pulled her close. "Love you," he whispered sleepily.

"I love you too Kazuma," Usagi whispered, cuddling close, her head resting on his chest and her body fitting against his like a perfect puzzle piece. Unconsciously, she gave him a bit of her energy, somehow sensing that he needed it. She soon fell asleep, troubled by dreams of the mysterious woman in her mirror.

In his dreams, Kazuma was face to face with Usagi... only it wasn't her... This woman had black hair and her eyes weren't soft and gentle like Usagi's. She just kept staring at him in his dream.

He woke with a bit of a start, confused. Looking at the clock, he saw that it was already midnight. Sighing he decided he should probably go, instead of staying the night in his girlfriend's room again. It was so hard to be a good guy.

Usagi murmured something as Kazuma got up and left, and she curled up, smiling slightly in her sleep.

The next morning dawned bright and early, and it was still raining outside. Usagi merely put her hair up in buns before going downstairs for breakfast, still wearing her pajamas. It was Sunday, and since it was raining, she intended to stay in to finish the main bulk of her homework. Once she got to the kitchen, she found that she wasn't hungry. Sighing and trudging back upstairs, she pulled out her school bag and started on her math homework. Math was easy for her, so even thought there was a lot, she breezed through it. She worked throughout the day, skipping lunch in order to finish everything, and because she still wasn't really that hungry. English homework, she had saved for last because it was the most difficult subject. A knock sounded on her door, and she stood to go get it. Looking up from her desk, she saw a shimmering black form in her room that vaguely looked like the woman from her mirror the day before. Blinking her eyes and shaking her head, the woman disappeared, and she opened the door to her room.

"Yeah?" she asked.

Karin was at the door with a small plate of cookies and a glass of milk. "Since you are studying so hard I thought I'd give you a bit of a treat," she told her smiling. "Need any help with homework? Kazuma's passed out right now so- it's just us."

Usagi smiled and welcomed Karin into her room.

"Thanks," she said, taking a cookie and nibbling on it. "I'm actually having a lot of trouble with the English stuff. Everything else was simple enough. I'm just having a hard time wrapping my head around the English." She frowned and put the cookie down. "Hey, is Kazuma okay? He looked worn out last night too..." she added worriedly.

Karin shrugged. "I'm guessing he's just been working hard at school or something," she lied. She knew exactly why he was so tired, but she couldn't let on that she knew. And thankfully she was a good liar. "Here, let me see. I'm pretty good at English."

Usagi nodded and handed Karin the book. She'd forgotten about the cookie already, and worked with Karin for the next half hour or so to finish her English homework.

A few days passed, and Usagi sat beside Hana on a bench outside the school.

"Hey. I've been thinking. We should try to find our Outer Senshi," she said. "But I wouldn't even know where to begin. I think we got lucky with all of us being here at this school, but the Outers are an entirely different group of people..." She sighed, her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands. She looked a little pale, a tiny bit thinner. She'd not eaten much over the last few days, not feeling even remotely hungry. "I feel like there are more Senshi than us and the Outers though. I keep catching glimpses of other auras before they're covered up. It worries me. What if, even though these aren't twisted auras, these other Senshi are against us too? It's hard enough to deal with the Dark Senshi..."

Kazuma had skipped school all together that day after dropping Usagi off. He had a meeting with his sister and the other Senshi. They went to 'sanctuary' to put on their Senshi Fuku.

Sailor Sun stood in the center of the room, her staff in hand, eyes closed. Around the room were six other Senshi, all in their fuku. Sailor Sun opened her eyes, which were such a pale yellow they looked almost white. "It is time," she told them all softly. "Moonlit Archer, I know that I've asked a lot of you, telling you to keep waiting for us to act. But it is time now. They are ready for us to join them," she told him quietly.

Archer sighed in relief. "I'll arrange for all the inner Senshi to meet you. Where?"

"Here. It's the safest place since Chaos cannot find us here," she told him, and closed her eyes again.

Kazuma stood outside the gate of the school waiting for the girls to come out.

Usagi saw Kazuma and skipped over happily giving him a hug and a kiss on the cheek.

"Hi!" she said. The other girls caught up quickly, looking up at Kazuma. Usually, he let them walk Usagi home, but they weren't going to say anything since Usagi had been depressed most of the day, and seeing Kazuma had drawn the first smile out of her that they'd seen all day. "I was just thinking of you."

He smiled. "Really? Well lucky I came by then." He looked to all of the girls, his arms still around Usagi. "I need all of you to come with me," he told them. "There are a few people I need you to meet."

He led them to 'sanctuary' and as he entered, he transformed, then looked back and nodded, indicating they should do the same.

Inside was the same room Archer had been in earlier that day. Sailor Sun still stood in the center of the room, her eyes closed. Around the room were the other Senshi, though this time Sailor Earth had joined them.

"Welcome Princess Serenity, and welcome to you, her inner guardians. This is sanctuary- a place where the enemy cannot see nor can they find you here." She opened her pale eyes. "I am Sailor Sun," she told him, the wings on her back looking transparent, like a hologram almost, but as she shifted slightly now- seeming very real. "We've asked Moonlit Archer to bring you here today so you can meet the other Senshi."

"I am Sailor Saturn."

"I am Sailor Pluto."

"I am Sailor Earth, though you all know me better as Karin." She bowed. "I apologize for having not told you the truth all this time."

Sailor Moon stood close to Archer, her hand in his. Her eyes were wide as she looked around. Four more Senshi introduced themselves.

"I am Sailor Uranus."

"I am Sailor Neptune." These two held hands, just as Sailor Moon was holding Archer's hand.

"I am Sailor Eclipse," the one wearing all black said. Her golden wings were sheer, dragonfly-looking things, and quite beautiful.

"And I am Sailor Tuxedo." This one had ruby hair, up in heart shaped buns like Sailor Moon's. Sailor Moon took a deep breath and stepped forward, dipping in a slight curtsy.

"Thank you for inviting us here," she said. Her heritage as a Princess shone through in how she held herself, even without formal training. "And I can understand the need for secrecy." She smiled a little, clasping her hands behind her back. "We weren't exactly cohesive when we first started." This drew a small chuckle from Eclipse, who was smiling warmly at the Moon Princess.

"You are quite cute," Uranus said with a grin. Neptune pinched her, and Uranus looked at her. "What, are you jealous?" she asked playfully. Neptune pouted.

"Possibly," she said. Tuxedo rolled her eyes.

"Every time with those two," she said, looking over at the now blushing Sailor Moon. "Whenever they meet a cute new girl, that conversation takes place."

"You're just jealous dear," Neptune said with a smile. Tuxedo shook her head, throwing her hands up in mock defeat. Sailor Moon looked back at Archer, and utterly confused expression on her face.

He shrugged. "My sister fits in perfectly." He ducked as a ball was chucked at him. "Well excuse me!" she sniped, hands on her hips. "We're all characters here," she explained to Moon. "Except Sunny- she's sort of stoic but we're working on her."

Sailor Sun tilted her head slightly at that. "I don't have a need for an over flow of personality. It clouds ones judgment."

"So you keep saying," Archer and Earth muttered together.

Pluto smiled slightly. "Well it's a relief that you don't hold our secrecy against us," she told them. "Oh, Luna, Artemis, there are a few people who would like to see you," she told them, pointing to a corner of the room.

Diana came rushing out towards them.

At a slower pace came a different cat, light tan with purple eyes and a sun on its forehead. "I was able to at least keep Diana from being overcome by Chaos- but she can't leave sanctuary- or it will take her too." It was hard to say if the voice was male of female for the cat, and the tan one went over to Sailor Sun sitting at her feet. "This is Apollo, my companion," she introduced. "Sailor Earth tells me he lacks personality more than I do."

Saturn had yet to say anything else; she just stood quietly and watched.

Sailor Moon watched as Luna, Artemis, and Diana all danced and meowed happily together, a true family. She smiled and discreetly wiped a tear away from her eyes before looking at Saturn. She didn't know that Saturn was the Senshi of life and death. She saw that the others gave her a kind of a berth, and that concerned her. Walking over, she bent, being a tad taller than Saturn, and smiled at the girl.

"Well, the only time I heard your voice was when you introduced yourself." She reached out and put a hand on the girl's shoulder. "You do have a pretty voice." Venus and Mars looked at each other, smiling. It was just like Sailor Moon to try to make everyone comfortable.

Saturn looked at the hand that touched her and then shied away from it, shrugging out of her hold. She wouldn't meet her eyes and moved to stand farther away from the group.

Pluto sighed. "I'm sorry Sailor Moon. She's not trying to be rude... Sailor Saturn doesn't... do well with people," she told her gently.

All the others looked away for a moment, even Archer.

"She is the Senshi of life and death. With such a great power her burden is great," Sailor Sun explained farther, as the others didn't seem to be willing to do so. "Saturn, if you'd like to leave you can. I won't force you to stay for this."

Saturn nodded and murmured, "I'll stay..." but she stepped even farther from the group.

Archer could tell that Sailor Moon was thinking of trying to get her to join the group and went to her, taking her hand. "If you try and force your affection on an animal they'll just struggle more to get away. Let her come to you," he whispered in her ear.

Sailor Moon nodded, stepping back to stand beside him. For an instant, as the sun shone down through the glass ceiling, the two looked like the Prince and Princess, but it was only an instant.

"Thank you for letting us meet you," Sailor Moon said, unaware that there might be more to the meeting. "We should probably go... The school hasn't laid off on homework, and even after doing tons on Sunday, I still have a lot..." Uranus and Neptune shrugged.

"We already know that you have cured our dark counterparts, so, there is really nothing more to be said," Uranus said, and Neptune nodded.

"Run along girls. We'll see you on the outside," she said with a smile, and Sailor Moon smiled too.

"Thank you again," she said, and turned with the others to leave. Once they got to 'sanctuary', they let their transformations go, and Usagi still held on to Kazuma. Luna and Artemis had decided to stay behind to spend some more time with their daughter. Turning to Kazuma, she gave him a tired smile. "Let's go home. I kind of want to sleep."

He frowned and waited until they were away from the others to speak. "You know... you've been looking pale.. and you don't each much at dinner," he told her. "Are you feeling okay?" His voice was thick with worry.

"I'm fine," Usagi said with a smile. "I just haven't been very hungry lately, that's all." Looking up at him, she smiled again and squeezed his hand. "I promise, I'm fine." They soon got home, and Usagi went up to her room, intending to sleep. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she was out, and her dreams were once again troubled by the mysterious black-haired woman.


	14. Chapter 13

A couple days later, Usagi was walking home with Rin when she noticed a couple dark auras. Reaching out to the other girls, she called to them, then dragged Rin into an alleyway.

"There are two dark Senshi coming this way," she whispered to Rin's surprised exclamation. Quickly, the two transformed, then raced out of the alleyway, and towards a park. They wanted to prevent as many casualties as possible. At the park, they met up with Jupiter, Venus, and Mercury. Sailor Moon had reached out and brushed Kazuma's aura, letting him know what was going on. Somehow, Uranus and Neptune were already there. "How?" she started to ask, then shook her head. "Nevermind." Just as she decided not to ask, the two dark Senshi showed up. They looked like Pluto and Saturn, only older, and much much darker. Dark Pluto had a staff that looked like a key, while Dark Saturn held a glaive.

"Don't let her drop that glaive," Uranus warned. "If she does, the world will end." Sailor Moon gave Uranus a bewildered look, but immediately had to jump into action as Dark Pluto attacked.

"Dead Scream," Dark Pluto said. The attack was creepy enough until a scream erupted in the park, and a ball of deadly energy rushed towards Sailor Moon. Mars ducked after shoving Sailor Moon out of the way. She barely got singed, her hair getting pieces blasted off, but that was it.

"Jupiter Thunder!" Jupiter attacked Pluto, while Mercury focused on Saturn.

Suddenly, Sailor Moon saw it. Saturn was starting to swing her glaive down.

"No!" she gasped. Her Crescent Moon Wand was in her hand, and she ran over, stopping Saturn. Or intending to stop her. Mars watched in horror as the glaive shattered the wand, and then went straight on to shatter Sailor Moon's transformation broach. In a split second, an orb of white light surrounded the two, shielding them from view.

"NO!" Sailor Jupiter stared in horror at the white orb- what had happened? What was going on inside that thing? Was Usagi okay? Jupiter was so preoccupied that she got hit by the next attack Dark Pluto sent out at her.

Mercury stared at the orb- she was closest to it but couldn't see anything inside of it.

Archer had made it just in time to see the catastrophe take place. "NO!" His arms twitched, as if to raise his bow but he didn't. He couldn't fire at that orb because he didn't know where Usagi was within it. He turned his attention to the other Senshi for now- but his mind was so preoccupied with Usagi he could hardly aim straight. After three failed attacks, he switched to hand on hand- always keeping an eye on the orb for the slightest sign of Usagi. It only to about ten seconds to learn that he couldn't fight Dark Pluto and watch the orb at the same time- she was good with those attacks of hers- making it difficult for him to get close.

Usagi blinked, opening her eyes as she looked around. White light surrounded her, and she was in the gorgeous gown she'd been in only once or twice before. In her arms, she held a baby, one that looked much like the woman she had been trying to stop only moments before. Suddenly understanding, she realized that the Silver Crystal had created a barrier so that the world wouldn't end. Instead, it had reflected back on Dark Saturn, and in returning her to birth, it had shattered Chaos' hold on her. A new broach and a new staff appeared before Usagi, and she reached out, taking them. Instead of transforming though, she merely willed them to her room at Kazuma's house. The orb then started to fade away, and Usagi stood tall. She was near Dark Pluto. Holding baby Saturn close to her, her silver eyes sparkled, the silver crescent moon on her forehead shining. Dark Pluto whirled, as if to attack, but at first sight of her and baby Saturn, Dark Pluto seemed to stop. Raising a hand, Usagi held her Silver Crystal. The white light that had encased her now stretched out and healed Pluto, who fell to her knees, bowing in the presence of Princess Serenity.

"Serenity..." she whispered. Looking up, she was startled to find Usagi smiling warmly at her.

"Take her, and go back to your own time. I will send your Princess back as soon as I can," she said softly. Mars and Venus looked on, their faces a mixture of awe and relief. Uranus and Neptune had knelt, one fist on opposite shoulder in a salute, their heads bowed, in the presence of their Princess. Pluto gratefully took baby Saturn and turned to the vortex that had opened behind them.

"Thank you for freeing us Serenity," she said softly before walking into the vortex. It closed up behind them as they disappeared from view, and Usagi turned to everyone. Her face was pale as she wavered. Seeing Archer, she smiled at him.

"I healed them," she said triumphantly. In the next instant, her eyes fluttered closed, and she collapsed, completely drained of energy, and feeling weak.

Archer rushed forward and caught Usagi before she hit the ground, having to slide a bit to do so. He was trembling as he held her close to him. That was far too close for comfort.

He took her home and tucked her into bed, kneeling on the floor beside her, just holding her hand. She didn't look well at all. What was he going to do with this girl?

About an hour later he fell asleep, still sitting on the floor beside her bed and still holding her hand.

Somehow, during the night, Usagi had curled up with Kazuma on the floor, her head resting on his shoulder and her free hand gripping the cloth of his shirt over his chest. The silver crescent moon still shone faintly on her forehead, but it seemed to slowly fade as the night went on. On her desk, the new broach and the new wand shimmered in the moonlight. A dark form shimmered and appeared briefly in the room, but didn't stay very long, the barriers on the house being far too strong still to let her communicate properly. Usagi whimpered in her sleep, clinging to Kazuma even tighter. She planted a picture of herself on Kazuma's mind as well before she was banished.

The next morning dawned bright and crisp, but Usagi remained asleep, still worn out from the day before. She was curled up in Kazuma's lap, clinging tightly to him as she slept.

Kazuma woke, feeling groggy. He smiled down at Usagi when he saw her and put her back to bed. The broach and wand caught his eye, and he went to the desk to examine them.

Karin knocked lightly on the door. "You feel up to re-strengthening the barriers today?" she asked

Kazuma nodded- as she knew he would. He'd have said he was up to it even when on his death bed.

In her dark fortress, Cosmos chuckled. Making a motion with her hands, she sent out a dark Senshi, disguising her aura before he went, to interfere with the barriers. It would be subtle enough that the Earth brats wouldn't know the difference between strengthened and broken, and it would allow her to manipulate the Prince.

Usagi woke much later, more towards noon. Luckily, they hadn't had school that day, due to a holiday, so she wasn't panicking about that. Stretching as she sat up in bed, she looked around.

"Now how...?" she asked quietly, then realized that Kazuma probably carried her home after she collapsed. Looking over at the desk, she saw the new broach and the new wand. The wand had a blue handle and a red heart at the end, with little bits of silver all throughout it. The broach was a dark red heart with little wings attached. "Crisis," she whispered, the word coming to her mind as she touched the broach. Opening it, she saw that the Silver Crystal was already nestled inside. "It's beautiful." She smiled and put it down, tucking the wand into her backpack and setting the broach on the desk. She was still wearing her clothes from the day before, so she grabbed her towels and a change of clothing, intending to take a bath.

Three nights later Kazuma was tossing and turning in his sleep.

Cosmos smiled to herself, and begin to instigate her plan.

_Kazuma was dressed in a rich looking outfit, and sitting on an ornate chair. He was a King now, and lived on the moon in the Millennium Palace with his wife, Queen Serenity. They were in their parlor, and Serenity was on the floor, playing with their baby daughter. Her hair was a red-blue color, and a golden crescent moon shone on her forehead. After the torment that Serenity and her friends had gone through after finding out that the adults they'd believed were their true parents were actually their foster parents, Serenity had decided that it would never happen again, and so their daughter lived with them in the Palace, on the plain of Mare Serenitas. Serenity felt him watching her and she looked up, smiling. An instant later, her smile became a look of horror as something loomed up behind him. Whirling, his hands reaching for his bow and arrows, he found that the monster had somehow slipped past him. A heart shattering scream sounded from where Serenity was, and he whirled, his heart sinking as he saw blood spilling from a gouge in her chest, and their daughter lay limp in her mother's arms. Serenity looked at him, her eyes wide with despair and guilt, and then the dreamscape changed..._

_Now, he was running, running. Dressed in his Archer uniform, he was ready for action. Something urgent was pushing him onwards, towards the open area at the end of the narrow hallway. Skidding to a halt, he gasped. Usagi was there, in her Princess gown. She was bound up, her limbs spread at awkward angles, her head bowed. Blood stained her hair and dress, the silver crescent moon on her forehead barely visible through the blood. She seemed to know he was there, as she opened her eyes, looking helplessly down at him._

_"Help..." she whispered before something made her scream, the scream one of utter agony._

Kazuma sat up in bed covered in a cold sweat, gasping for air. His whole body was trembling and he couldn't stop it. The images of his dreams kept flashing through his mind's eye and he couldn't seem to stop them. He got up and went to his door- then stopped. He'd been about to go to Usagi's room, wanting the comfort of knowing she was okay. But if he did go- she would see something was wrong and worry about him... so he couldn't. He reached out for her with his mind, mentally checking that she was safe and went back to bed, not entirely sure he wanted to go back to sleep.

The dreams stopped for the night, and although he was glad for it the next morning, he was wary of it.

Usagi got dressed, putting on her uniform and then heading out the door.

"Kazuma, I'm heading off to school now," she said, smiling at him. He seemed a little tired this morning, but lately, that had seemed the norm. She had her broach tucked in her pocket, and her wand was in her backpack. Reaching up to kiss him on the cheek, she turned and started to go.

Kazuma caught her hand and pulled her back, hugging her tightly to him. He still remembered those dreams- and it terrified him even now. "I love you," he whispered in her ear.

Usagi blushed, but smiled, looking up and putting a hand on the side of his face as she reached up and gently but lovingly kissed him.

"I love you too Kazuma," she whispered back, and after a few moments, she reluctantly disentangled herself from him. Waving goodbye, she walked out the door and met up Rin, who had been waiting for her.

School passed without incident, and Usagi walked home on her own. She'd told the girls that she wanted time to think. Nothing happened, for which she was lucky. She'd hate to have to face Kazuma again after something like that. Opening the door to the house and walking in, she went up to her room. Deciding that she wanted to go swimming, she went to see if Kazuma was home yet.

Kazuma hadn't left the house that day, he was running out of energy far too quickly and couldn't fully understand why- little did he know that the barrier was doing as it was supposed to and trying to repair itself but couldn't. He sat in his room deep in meditation. So when there was a knock at his door he jumped. Going to the door he opened it. "Oh- Usagi, you're home." After a second he shook his head. "Sorry, welcome back," he told her with a smile.

Usagi frowned when she saw the dark circles under his eyes.

"I was going to see if you wanted go swimming, but you look more tired than I feel," she said. She took a step closer, looking up at him. "What's wrong?"

He shook his head. "Just been pushing myself to hard lately. You can go ahead if some of the girls will go with you. Ask Karin- now that you know she's a Senshi as well. I'm sure she'd love to go with you."

Usagi sighed, but nodded. Reaching up to give him a kiss, she turned to go.

"Get some rest Kazuma," she said softly. Smiling a bit at him, she closed the door behind her. Knocking on Karin's door, she called her friend's name. "Do you want to go swimming with me?"

"Swimming?" Karin asked, opening the door. She grinned. "Give me 10 minutes! Do you have a swimsuit? And if you try to tell me it's a school suit I am going to have no choice but to take you shopping for a new one!" She was grinning.

Kazuma felt the girls leave and went back to meditating. Somehow he was so tired that he fell asleep on the floor.

Usagi grinned, shaking her head.

"Nope, I have a swimsuit. Don't worry about it!" she said. Once they got to the pool, she changed into a cute lavender bikini with a crescent moon charm hanging from the middle. Showing off for Karin and Mei, she giggled. "So? What do you think?" she asked playfully.

Karin gave her a playful whistle. "I think Kazuma is going to be green with envy that he wasn't here today," she answered.

The girls were having fun, playing with a beach ball Karin had brought when Usagi felt two dark auras appear out of nowhere.

The entire area was shrouded in a thick mist that made everyone not a Senshi pass out- even those in the pool.

"Oh no!" Usagi gasped, quickly diving and rescuing a small child, a little girl, before she sank to the bottom of the pool. Surfacing and laying the little girl gently on the side, she looked around. Not that many people in the pool thankfully, but there was no time to rescue them all. Telling Mei to get a few more people out of the pool, Usagi dashed to the changing rooms to grab her broach.

"Crisis Make Up!" she said, holding it to her chest. In an instant, she was in her fuku, a deep blue skirt with two different colored bands of purple across the bottom, and a white top. The sleeves were a sheer lavender, as was the bow on the back of her skirt. Her tiara was different again, gold with a silver crescent moon super-imposed upon it. The orbs on her buns had turned lavender instead of ruby, and her boots matched the main color of the skirt. Going back out, she saw that Mei had nearly finished, but the dark auras were getting closer. She went to meet them, her face deadly serious. Venus joined her a few minutes later, a little breathless. Then, the dark Senshi were there. It was Dark Mercury and Dark Jupiter, both smirking as they observed only the two there. They didn't notice Sailor Earth behind them.

Earth took a deep breath, pulling her dagger out, holding it so the blade followed her arm. She rushed forward while their attention was on the two other Senshi and drove her dagger into the ground just behind and between them, in the same motion she whirled herself around, low to the ground and kicked their feet out from under them.

Both Dark Senshi were taken by surprise and fell to the ground. As their hands hit the ground, the let out a startled cry, their hand sinking into the ground.

The ground became hard again as Earth pulled her dagger out of the ground as she rolled away. "Now Sailor Moon!"

Sailor Moon nodded, her hand held low before as her wand shimmered into being. Raising it above her head, she closed her eyes, searching for the words to use. Only about a second passed before she opened her silver eyes again, looking at the dark Senshi with pity.

"Moon Healing Kiss!" she said, and a warm lavender light radiated from the heart at the top of the wand, enveloping the two dark Senshi. The black in their uniforms faded to white, and the colors became brighter. She motioned at Earth to let them go, which was just as a vortex came into being to their right.

"Thank you Princess..." Jupiter said as she turned and walked towards the vortex. Mercury smiled and came up to Sailor Moon, took her hand, and bowed.

"Princess, you have my gratitude," she whispered, then went to join Jupiter. As they faded into the vortex, it closed. Sailor Moon took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh, letting her transformation go. Venus did as well. Usagi walked up to Karin and gave her a hug.

"Thank you for your help," she said. With a laugh, she started back towards the changing rooms. "I guess this means we have to go home now though." She quickly got changed and walked with Karin home after dropping Mei off at her house. Usagi was tired, so she went up to her room, getting changed into her pajamas. Dropping quickly into the realm of sleep, she cast one more thought Kazuma's way, but he was asleep still, so she merely stayed in her room. In her dreams, a black haired woman appeared, repeating threats against her, saying that she would soon die...


	15. Chapter 14

In Kazuma's room, an image of the black haired woman shimmered, as it from bad reception on television. She soon faded, but the dreams that she'd planted were still there, very prominent in his mind...

He was dressed in his armor this time, and his bow and arrows were strapped safely to his back. He was numb from despair and horror. Why? Turning, he understood in an instant. Chaos had taken her, his beloved Usagi. She still looked beautiful, despite the fact that Chaos had made her eyes grow cold and hateful. Tears formed in his eyes as he took out his bow, notched an arrow. He couldn't let Chaos destroy Earth. That was his duty. And yet, his hands shook, the tip of his arrow wavering. He didn't want to kill her. He truly didn't. But... Looking at his sister and the others, he closed his eyes and fired. A cry of pain was all it took to know he had hit his target. He didn't want to look, but forced himself to. The arrow sprouted from her breast, blood trickling down from the wound. A shuddering sob escaped him. She wasn't dead yet, and he needed to protect the Earth. Notching another arrow, he let loose, this arrow sheathing itself in her breast, right beside the first. A choked cry of pain escaped her, and in that last instant, Chaos left her. He ran to her side, holding her as she died, apologizing, telling her that he loved her, cursing himself. As she breathed her last breath, she said his name, and he let out a cry of anguish, holding her against him, his body shaking with quiet sobs. The dreamscape changed...

He was running along that narrow hallway again, and he felt that urgency again. That great sense of foreboding overshadowed him as he came to the clearing at the end, and he saw her, his beloved Usagi, bound and bloodied, as he had the night before. This time though, she was being eaten, a great monster gnawing on her right arm. Her eyes stayed closed this time, a low moan of pain escaping her. The monster turned and looked at Archer, then lunged for him. Drawing his bow and arrow, he reacted quickly, launching an arrow straight at the monster. It disappeared into a mist, and the arrow instead embedded itself in Usagi's heart. Her scream of agony pierced him as surely as if he had stabbed himself with the arrow. The dream faded to black...

Again Kazuma work with a start, but this time he screamed as he did so. He sat in his bed, trembling, tears streaking down his face. Twice in one night he'd seen her die- and this time it was him that killed her. Once on purpose and once by accident. He couldn't even move he was so petrified with horror and terror.

Usagi woke with a start when she heard him scream, his room being below hers. She scrambled out of bed and ran down the stairs, not even knocking as she was in a hurry.

"Kazuma!" she gasped, seeing his tears, wondering what had caused him so much pain and terror. She went over to him, kneeling beside him, as he was still on the floor, and looking at him, reaching out to wipe his tears away.

Kazuma stared at her a moment, and then looked down at her chest. It had seemed so real that part of him- the delirious with exhaustion and panic part- worried that Usagi would have the wounds he'd inflicted on her. He reached out and faster than she could react pulled the shirt up and over her head, then he grabbed her arms, staring at her breasts. They were perfect, not a mark on then. He choked out a sigh of relief and then hugged her tightly. Good- he hadn't killed her.

Usagi gasped, a shiver going up her spine as he pulled her shirt off. When he hugged her close, she felt his warmth more than she ever had before.

"Kazuma... What's wrong?" she whispered, looking up at him. She knew that he was a gentleman, holding himself back, but this was new, different. She wasn't entirely sure what to do. She reached out for her shirt, intending to pull it back on.

Kazuma didn't answer and he refused to release her. He didn't even seem to realize he was holding her shirtless at the moment. His tears were warm against her shoulder, and after a minute he started to kiss her neck. 'I won't let it happen,' he thought desperately, only slightly aware he was kissing her.

Usagi whimpered as an entirely new sensation overcame her. Blushing, she realized that she had stopped reaching for her shirt.

"Kazuma..." she whispered.

His kisses trailed up her neck, along her jaw, and to her lips. They weren't like his usual kisses, warm and sweet and chaste. He kissed her deeply, with a passionate need and a slight fearful undertone. As he kissed her he ended up pushing her onto her back, him over her. One arm was around her bare shoulders, the other her narrow waist.

Usagi didn't want her shirt anymore. She wanted Kazuma. She returned each kiss, her own passion matching his. Her arms were looped loosely about his neck as her hair spilled out beneath her. Her chest rose and fell with each breath, and she needed to take deep breaths of air in between each kiss.

Kazuma shifted, more of his weight coming down on her as he did so. The arm that had been around her shoulders trailed down her side over the curve of her hip and down her thigh before pulling her leg up against his side. He'd stopped crying and he had yet to say a word. His mouth left hers and trailed down to the hollow of her neck, his tongue flicking briefly against her soft skin there.

Usagi let out a soft moan, her eyes fluttering closed for a brief moment before she opened them again. Her body was tingling all over. Her hands fumbled against the fabric of his shirt, trying to get it off of him. Everything just felt so right; she knew what she wanted.

The moan caught Kazuma's attention. His kisses stopped and slowly he came out of his dream caused stupor. He pushed himself up onto his hands and knees over her, blinking down at her, his vision slowly clearing. And then his eyes went wide, realizing that he'd stripped her of her shirt and it seemed he'd left a few love bites on her pale skin. Blushing furiously he pushed himself back, half scrambling away from her. He was also not looking at her anymore. "Usagi... I'm sorry..." he whispered, hating himself. God, he'd just about taken her without even knowing it.

Usagi pushed herself up, reaching for her shirt and putting it back on. In an instant, she'd gone from happily accepting it to utterly worried. She went over to him, forcing him to look at her. Her face was flushed, but from the passion and the joy of it, not from embarrassment.

"Don't you ever say sorry for that," she said softly. "If I hadn't wanted it, I would have left by now." She sat back, looking down. "I came in here because I heard you scream. I wanted to know what was wrong." Her eyes brimmed with tears. "Is my body unappealing...?" she choked out, unable to understand why he'd stopped, why he'd backed away.

His eyes went wide. "Are you kidding me?! No! It's very appealing! God I wasn't even fully awake- that's why... My guard was down so I wasn't watching what I did..." he murmured, having trouble finding the words to say.

Usagi looked up, getting back up onto her knees again, leaning forward and kissing him passionately. She still wanted him.

"Kazuma..." she whispered, her lips moving against his. Her eyes met his own, searching. A couple of tears had escaped, and sparkled on her cheeks. "Please..."

'Damn it!' he thought, grabbing her arms and keeping her at arm's length from him, his eyes squeezed shut as he turned his head to the side. "Usagi- you're fifteen years old..." he told her quietly.

"I don't care," Usagi said. She took a deep breath. "They keep trying and trying. Each time it gets closer and closer. I am going to die Kazuma. I know it. I don't know when, or who's gonna do it. But it's going to happen." She looked down, her hands clenching in her lap. "I don't want to die without this..." she whispered.

Kazuma's grip on her arms tightened. Her wording had struck him hard considering his most recent dreams. "I won't let it happen," he said firmly under his breath. "Besides, you've already managed to heal six of them right? We're finally starting to win," he pointed out. It was much harder to resist when she clearly didn't want him to.

"There is four more, plus Chaos. Dark Moon, Mars, and Venus, and the black haired woman..." Usagi looked up at him, pleading with her eyes. "Kazuma, please..."

"I- w-well what about my sister?" he asked, feeling slightly desperate now. "She's still in the house too ya know." His dad was still out of town on a business trip.

"Kazuma, I don't care." Usagi forced him to let go of her arms and pressed her body against his, kissing him.

His self-restraint snapped at that point. Even if he had been more or less asleep, he'd been excited by what he'd done with Usagi, and that excitement hadn't calmed down enough to resist her when she did that. He sighed against her lips and held her against him, kissing her back. After a moment he shifted to his knees, then slid his hands down her back. Grabbing hold of her legs he pulled her up against him, holding her legs to either side of his body.

Rising with her still held against him he moved to his bed and laid her down, stripping off his own shirt before he laid himself down on her. "Usagi," he breathed running his hands up her back under her shirt.

Usagi whimpered as the pleasure coursed through her. She wriggled out of her shirt, wanting to feel his skin pressed against hers. A shiver ran through her as she felt his bare chest against hers, and an appreciative but very soft moan escaped her. She wrapped her legs around his waist, holding herself tightly against him as she kissed him again. As the kiss broke, she remained close.

"Kazuma..." she whispered, her lips moving against his, and then she kissed him again, her passion and desire and undying love being poured into that kiss.

Kazuma returned the kiss with all of his own passion and love for her. He reached back disentangling himself from her legs for a moment and slipped her shorts off her.

Kazuma lay in bed, holding Usagi in his arms. He was having a bit of mixed feelings about what they had just shared. It had been amazing, and he'd definitely been wanting to do it with her for a while now... but... she was still in middle school- and he was only a first year in high school... wasn't it a little too soon? He sighed, his grip on her tightening slightly. 'I guess we aren't like other kids our age considering who we are and what we do,' he decided. He certainly didn't regret it, just wondered if it had been the right time.

Usagi was cuddled happily against him, her hair slightly mussed, and her face flushed. But she was happy, and exhausted in a good sort of way.

"I love you Kazuma," she whispered as she drifted off to sleep.

The next morning dawned, but not bright and cheerful. It was raining and soggy outside, but nothing could dim Usagi's mood. She woke, still snuggled against Kazuma, and she happily kissed him. The door to his room was locked, something that she hadn't recalled doing the night before, but must have.

Kazuma sighed when she kissed him, nuzzling her neck. "Morning," he whispered. "We probably need to get up and get ready for school."

"I suppose..." Usagi said with a pout, but did reluctantly disentangle herself from him, getting up and throwing her shirt and shorts back on. Grinning, she kissed him again, then left the room and went to her own, getting into her school uniform and putting her hair up. The school day passed slowly, but quickly at the same time. Usagi was cheerful, and her friends were glad to see her perky self again. On the way home, her eyes narrowed. "Two more..." she whispered, and her friends immediately transformed, following her example. Dark Venus and Dark Mars stepped out from behind a corner, both staring them down. The others leaped into action. Mars distracted Dark Venus while Venus distracted Dark Mars. Sailor Moon summoned her wand, and held it in front of her. "Moon Healing Kiss!" The light enveloped the dark Senshi, the black in their uniforms fading to white, and the colors getting brighter. Sailor Moon smiled. Two more down, three to go. Letting her transformation fade, she hugged all four of her friends. "Thank you!" Venus and Mercury had already disappeared into the vortex, each bowing and thanking Usagi before leaving.

Karin rounded the corner. "Well, you're getting quite good at this," Karin commented with a smile. "I was on my way to see if I could offer some help, but it seems you all didn't need me at all." She smiled at them, and her eyes locked onto Usagi for a moment, twinkling knowingly before shifting away.

Usagi blushed a little, looking at her.

"Well, I think it helps that they are all losing their will to fight," she said. "The only ones left are Dark Moon, the black haired woman, and Chaos." Mei looked at Usagi, frowning.

"Black haired woman?" she asked. Usagi blinked, realizing that she'd slipped up. She hadn't told anyone about that woman yet.

"In my dreams, I've been seeing a black haired woman who looks like me," she answered honestly. "She is the one that we will have to go through to get to Chaos..." Looking up at Karin, she met her eyes. "And I think that she's trying to influence Kazuma..."

Karin blinked, but she didn't seemed at all surprised by this thought. "What makes you think that?" she asked evenly. Kazuma told her a little about a woman he had seen in a dream, she hadn't know Usagi had seen the woman too- which meant that Kazuma probably didn't know either.

"I've seen her in my dreams, holding him close to her. And something that Dark Mercury said before I cured her..." Usagi sounded shaken as she remembered the experiences. "And lately, Kazuma has been much more worried than usual."

Karin didn't say anything. "Then perhaps you should talk to him about you're concern. As far as I know he doesn't know that you have these dreams." Karin stretched her arms over her head. "I'll walk the princess home if you want," she told her friends.

"Yeah, that's fine," Mei said. "I was going to help Hana out today and I think we need to get to her house soon." Usagi gave each one a hug and then started to walk home with Karin.

"I've tried talking to him, but he won't tell me. I know I should have told him before now about the black haired woman, but I didn't want to add to his worries..." she said softly.

"Every worry he has is for you Usagi. Not telling him just makes him worry more. And if he'd known you were seeing her too- he'd probably have told you about him seeing her in his dreams too," Karin told her. "I know that you don't want to be a burden to others- but the only time you are is when you don't share your burdens with the rest of us. Because then we all flail around trying to figure out what we can do to help you."

"I guess I didn't think of it that way..." Usagi admitted quietly. Looking up at Karin, she smiled slightly. "I'll go talk to him then." They soon got home, and Usagi went searching for Kazuma. It was nearly bedtime, but she'd rather talk to him first.

Kazuma was in his room, on his bed leaning against the wall. His eyes were shut and he looked pale. "Come in," he called when he heard her knock on the door. He sat up straighter and opened his eyes but there was little he could do to hide how exhausted he was.

Usagi joined him on the bed, her eyes wide.

"Kazuma..." she whispered. She leaned in and kissed him, giving him some of her energy, wanting to do anything to help. "I wanted to tell you something... I didn't want to worry you, but Karin opened my eyes about it so... Kazuma, I've been seeing a dark haired woman in my dreams, and she looks just like me... She's been holding you close to her, like she's taken you..." Closing her eyes and looking away, Usagi took a deep breath before looking at him again. "I think she's trying to take you and use you against us..."

Kazuma's own eyes widened, and a look of terror crossed his face before he hugged her tightly. "How long have you been seeing her?" he asked.

"Since a few nights ago..." Usagi whispered. She shivered, unable to get his terrified expression out of his mind. What was this woman doing to him...? She clung to him. "Do you mind if I sleep here tonight? I don't want to be alone..." she added quietly.

"No, that's fine," he told her softly. After a moment he added. "I've seen her twice now... and both times it was right before I had dreams of you dying." He couldn't bring himself to vocalize that the last two times he'd been the once to kill her.

Usagi lowered her eyes. If Kazuma was dreaming of her dying, and she could feel that coming in her distant future, then surely it was going to happen. Sighing, she snuggled close. Later on that night, after just sitting silently for a while, she and Kazuma lay down together on his bed. There were no feverish kisses, as both of them were worn out. Just gentle kisses, knowing kisses. She was snuggled close to him, her eyes closed as she slept fitfully. Kazuma was having just as hard a time sleeping, his dreams almost as bad as before.

Sailor Cosmos, twisted and dark, sat on an obsidian throne. Behind her, bound and bloodied, was Usagi. Kazuma felt his heart sink. Why? Why was he being tormented in this way? He fell to his knees, unable to bear it anymore. When would this torment stop? All he wanted was to keep Usagi safe...

"You want to keep her safe?" Cosmos asked, her voice husky as she rose, walking to Kazuma and forcing him to look at her by putting her hand on his chin. Her deep blue eyes met his brown ones. "I can give you the power you need to kill Chaos... Just come to find me. You can keep your precious Princess Serenity safe, Prince Dymion. I promise, you will be able to keep her safe, and you will be able to save your Earth..." The dream faded to black, but instead of ending, it changed to a vision of the future. "Prince Dymion, this is what will happen if you do not come..." Usagi was dressed in her Princess dress, the silver crescent moon shining brightly on her forehead. She reached out, looking at him sadly, kissing him before standing. She walked forward, and soon flew into the air, a pair of elegant white angel wings sprouting from her back. Her hair, let down, was flowing in the wind as she flew forward, her arms outstretched. The being she flew towards was a black mass, undulating and evil looking. Her Star Seed, the Silver Crystal in the shape of a rose, appeared in front of her chest, and Kazuma suddenly noticed that her face was pale, and tears glittered on her cheeks in the reflected light.

"Take it. I give it all to you. Leave my friends, and my love, alone. I give you myself, just leave this world alone..." she said quietly. Kazuma knew that there wasn't a way that he could hear her words, but somehow he did.

"Usagi, no..." he moaned, watching her give herself, sacrifice herself to save him and the others from Chaos. Her Star Seed shattered, and in that instant, a lavender light so blinding that it made him shield his eyes spread over the world. It healed all the damage that Chaos had done. All of the damage except for the damage done to his heart. He raced forward to catch Usagi's falling body, and was able to get there in time. She lay limp in his arms, the shine of her aura gone. Sobbing, he pressed his face into her hair, unable to bear it any longer. The vision faded, and he was once again in that dark throne room, Cosmos smiling at him from her dark throne, Usagi's bound and bloodied body behind her. "Help me save her," he said firmly. Cosmos' grin grew, and a chill of foreboding went down his spine.

"Well my dear... Come to see me..." she whispered, and then gave him the location of her fortress.

Kazuma's eyes snapped open. He looked to his side, where Usagi still slept. Perhaps if he wasn't so exhausted, he would have questioned the dream more, but he was, and he was desperate to save her. Slipping silently from the bed, he used a bit more of his energy and hid himself from his sister. She was asleep and so she wouldn't notice till morning.

That done, he kissed Usagi's forehead before dressing and then quietly leaving the house.


	16. Chapter 15

Usagi woke slowly the next morning, then realized Kazuma was gone. She quickly went up to her room, thinking that he'd gone up there for some reason. Her mind was panicked, and she wasn't thinking logically. When she saw that he wasn't there, she ran to Karin's room, knocking on the door and then bursting in.

"Karin, Kazuma's gone!" she cried, her eyes full of tears.

Karin sat up in bed, bleary eyed. "What?" she asked, feeling for her brother. And then she got up, worry on her face. "He... I can't feel him... I've been able to feel him even if we were a city apart..." she breathed. That would mean either someone was somehow interfereing... or he was hiding from her.

"I don't know... The black haired woman was laughing at me last night, and Kazuma wasn't there when I woke. I think she has him somehow..." Usagi sobbed. She put her face in her hands. "I should have been more awake last night..." Turning, she ran to her room and grabbed her broach, dashing down the hallway and downstairs. She would go find him; she would transform and amplify her senses. Maybe she would be able to feel his aura. The black haired woman had gone too far this time. She'd taken Usagi's love, and Usagi was determined to have him back.

"Usagi!" Karin grabbed her arm, stopping her. "Usagi, I'm his twin, the one that holds the other half of his seed. If I can't feel him you won't be able to either- not even if you transform." She seemed to be struggling to stay calm, her hands tight and trembling on Usagi. "We'll go to Sactuary, ask Sailor Sun about this. If you act recklessly you'd be more than playing into their hands. And Kazuma will never forgive me if I let you get hurt."

Usagi looked at Karin, her eyes wide, filled with tears, and she seemed to go completely limp.

"I know..." she whispered brokenly. "I just... This has got to stop..." She sighed, pulling away from Karin and sitting on the couch, she held her head in her hands, wiping the tears away. "I'm going to go find Chaos, Karin. I'm going to find it, and I'm going to banish it. I don't want it to hurt the people of this world anymore." She looked up, her face determined. "Let's go see Sailor Sun. Now. I'm not going to wait. This has gone on far too long."

Karin nodded. "Get dressed and we'll go," she told her.

The entered sanctuary and Sailor Sun was the only one in the room. She opened her pale eyes and looked sadly at Usagi. "I'm so sorry... I didn't notice fast enough to stop it," she whispered.

Usagi shook her head.

"It's done now. We can't help what's past. What we can do, is bring him back, and to prevent it from happening in the future. Tell me where the black haired woman is," she said. She was firm, her face set and determined. "There is her and Dark Moon. I promised the others that I would send their Princess back. If I can do that and take my love back from the black haired woman, then I can concentrate on Chaos. Please Sun. This is all that I ask..."

Sailor Sun sighed but nodded. She held her staff out ad light filled the room. "The Sailor Moon you seek is currently hiding in a time pocket, as is the woman with black hair that you seek," she said, images flashing though the air. "I will summon Sailor Pluto to help you. I also recommend taking the other scouts with you. There may only be a few enemies left, but they are far stronger than all the others. And far more corrupted."

Usagi nodded, closing her eyes and reaching out to her friends. Summoning them, she told them to meet her there. It was moments later that they arrived, already transformed. Usagi smiled and held her broach out.

"Moon Crisis, Make Up!" she said, and was instantly in her Senshi fuku. She'd left the house after only brushing her hair, so it was down. Uranus and Neptune arrived a few seconds after that, as did Tuxedo and Eclipse.

"Princess, we are here to help," Eclipse said with a soft smile. Sailor Moon nodded, waiting for the last two to arrive. They would get this done now, and she would rescue Kazuma. She would kiss him one last time before she died. No one was going to keep her from that.

Pluto and Saturn arrived as well. "Is everyone here?" she asked.

Sailor Sun nodded. "You may begin."

Pluto was silent for a moment. "Are... you going to come too?"

Sun smiled softly. "I will join you when I can. I must first release myself from this place though. Go."

Pluto raised her staff, opening the portal. "Hurry inside." she told them.

Sailor Moon led the way, making sure that everyone was in before waving Pluto through as well. Turning, she looked up at the fortress that rose before them. She could sense immense darkness swirling around it and inside it.

"This place is canceling out my ability to sense things," she warned the group behind her. "So I won't be able to sense when they begin to attack."

"Well I guess that works out for me..." a low husky voice said. Sailor Moon looked up, and seeing Dark Moon above them, yelled for them to scatter. Dark Moon landed, a dark red disc glowing in her hand.

"That disc is sharp and it will electrocute you," Sailor Moon shouted. "Keep far away from it!" Dark Moon whirled, tossing the disc in the direction of Tuxedo, who jumped out of the way. The disc boomeranged back into Dark Moon's hand. Sailor Moon hid behind an obsidian monolith, her wand shimmering into her hand as she made sure to keep mental tabs on the others. Dark Moon's soul screamed for release from the darkness. "Someone, keep her still!" Sailor Moon shouted as the disc lanced out again, narrowly avoiding Mars as she ducked out of the way.

Sailor Earth felt a slight chill run through her. This place... her power was barely going to work in this place. There was too much interference from the dark auras.

Sailor Sun was right, Dark Moon was powerful, more so than they expecting. First she got Sailor Eclipse, and then she got Mars. Jupiter tried to stop her as well, and ended up taking a hit meant for Sailor Moon.

'This isn't going to work...' Earth thought and took a deep breath. "Usagi! You have to win- no matter what. And you have to save Kazuma," Earth told her and then rushed Dark Moon. She dodged the attacks thrown at her, moving much like Archer did. Then grabbed Dark Moon, screaming in pain as she was attacked at close range, but she refused to let go. "Do it now Sailor Moon!"

Sailor Moon barely faltered as she watched her friends fall. She had steeled herself against this. She'd known it was going to happen.

"Moon Healing Kiss!" The light radiated out from her wand and hit Dark Moon. She screamed in agony as the darkness left her, and soon the Princess stood in her place. Dressed in a gown similar to Sailor Moon's, only with gold and pink accents, and a golden crescent moon on her forehead, and her blond hair held back in buns and pigtails.

"Thank you so much..." she whispered, and went over to Sailor Moon, giving her a hug. Sailor Moon's broach changed with that single touch, and her outfit changing as well. A pair of white angel wings appeared on her back, and the Princess smiled. "I'll go back now. I don't need to be here..." Sailor Moon nodded, and she watched as the Princess disappeared into the vortex. While this had been going on, the others had been picking themselves up, and they all looked at Sailor Moon now.

"Let's go," she said, and led the way to the fortress. She'd yet to even see a hint of Kazuma, and was growing more and more worried. In the throne room, Cosmos sat, twisted and evil, grinning at the group that was before her. Venus attacked before she could react, lashing out with her chain and pinning her to the throne. Sailor Moon took out her new wand, this a staff, and held it out in front of her. "Starlight Honeymoon Love!" she whispered, and soon Cosmos was as she should be, clad in white, her hair silver and luminous dark blue eyes shining through the darkness. "Where is Kazuma!" Sailor Moon shouted, looking around for him. "Give him back! And then help us in the fight against Chaos!" Cosmos cast a terrified look around her, and then shook her head.

"I can't!" she whispered in a terrified tone. A vortex opened behind her and she retreated into it after transforming into a small girl with fuchsia colored hair. The vortex closed, and Sailor Moon had a sinking feeling. Turning, she looked around.

"How are we supposed to find him now...?" she whispered, unaware that her friends and allies had all been trapped in a silently crackling dome of dark light, surrounded by arrows...

"Finally." Kazuma's voice came from the shadows. "I was wondering what was taking you so long to get here." He stepped out from the shadows his bow in hand, and arrow knotched. He wore his mask and his Princely armor, but it seemed to be darker than normal, as did his armor. "I guess that woman made good her promise after all. Before she turned traitor at least."

Sailor Moon whirled, her eyes wide.

"Kazuma!" she gasped, then faltered when she saw that he was aiming at her. "What are you doing...?" she asked. "Kazuma, it's me, Usagi!" She took a few steps forward, holding her staff at her side, not entirely sure of what was going on. The dome that covered the rest of the Senshi made it soundproof, so she could not hear their warnings and cries to get out of there.

He fired his arrow. "Stop talking," he ordered harshly. He notched another arrow, and aimed. "I kill you and this is over."

Sailor Moon bit off a screech of pain as the arrow sliced through her shoulder. She'd dodged, but not fast enough. Her dodge had brought her closer to him. She was close enough to touch him. Kicking the bow and arrow out of his hands as he'd taught her to do when they were training, she backed away a little as the weapons clattered away.

"Kazuma, it's me!" she said frantically, her heart breaking. Did he think she was someone else, or did he really think that killing her would end everything? Tears started to gather in her eyes. Was what they'd shared... Had it not been special?

He was just fine fighting without his bow. He stepped in and swung a cross cut punch at her. As she dodged, he moved in again and caught her in the gut, and then kicked her legs out, drawing his knife in one motion.

Sailor Moon felt bones break as she fell; he was not taking it easy on her. In fact, he seemed quite intent on making sure she never woke up again. Her heart shattered at that moment, and she saw his knife descending. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and reached out, grabbing his ankles and pulling his legs out from underneath him. His knife flew up into the air, and descended, embedding itself in her chest. She coughed, ignoring the pain. She had to free him, had to beat Chaos. Her vision swam as she fell back. The locket that she'd given him clattered across the floor, the sad melody playing as it burst open.

Kazuma sprang back up, glaring at her as the music started to play. He shot a look at the locket and quickly retrieved it. 'Good it's not broken,' he thought, his vision going funny. He squinted and then shook his head. Something was off, but what? He looked over at Chaos and dropped the locket all over again, his eyes going wide. Chaos was shifting- as if a film was being pulled off her- and below it was Usagi. "No..." he breathed, taking a step forward. "NO! Usagi!" He rushed to her, his head feeling clear now. He hadn't even realized how hazy it had been till that moment. He was kneeling beside her now, looking at the knife- his knife- in her chest, then at her. "Oh God... no Usagi... I- what have I-" He couldn't even feel the tears that were falling from his eyes, he felt so numb. His nightmares.. it was like they were happening all over again- but somehow he could tell that this wasn't a dream this time.

Usagi smiled, her transformation shimmering as the Silver Crystal came out of the broach. It emitted a soft light, surrounding them. It gave Kazuma energy, and healed Usagi's wounds. Her fuku changed to her Princess gown, the silver crescent moon shining on her forehead.

"I'm so glad that you were just under a spell," she whispered, sitting up and kissing him. The kiss was sad, forlorn. "And I'm glad that I could find you and give you one last kiss." She stood, a pair of white angel wings on her back. Smiling sadly at Kazuma one more time, she flew up towards the real Chaos, a mass of undulating blackness. Holding out her hands in front of her, the Silver Crystal appeared in the form of a pure white rose. "Chaos, you won't harm these people anymore!" she cried out, her voice echoing over the vast barren landscape. Pouring all of her strength into the Silver Crystal, Usagi banished Chaos, bit by bit. Soon, nothing was left. In the last instant, Chaos surged forward, shattering the Silver Crystal. A lavender light spread out, banishing the time pocket and washing over the world as Usagi's eyes went blank, and she fell from the sky. As she hit the ground, her eyes finally closed. Chaos was banished for good, the power of the Crystal shattering having sent it spiraling into the galaxy. It would come back in a few thousand years, but it was gone for now. Up on the moon, Queen Clarity felt the shift, and she made her way towards where she felt the absence that had once been her daughter.

"No- NO USAGI, DON'T!" Kazuma practically screamed as she flew away. He was helpless to do anything but watch as the woman he loved sacrificed herself for the rest of the world. He caught Usagi as she fell, holding her tightly.

The other Senshi had been freed from his hold as soon as he'd realized it was Usagi he'd attacked, and now the gathered around the two.

Kazuma felt as if he was in the lowest pit of hell. His love and his sister, gone.

A soft light appeared in the sky above them, growing steadily brighter until it was nearly as blinding as the sun. Sailor Sun hovered in the air above them, her shine casting out the remnants of the shadows that remained from Usagi's purifying. She held her staff before her. "Prince Dymion, Princess Serenity's light has faded, her crystal now needs to rest, so Sailor Moon cannot return to this world. None of the fallen Senshi can, not in this millenia." Those below her sobbed at her sad news. "However, Usagi need not stay away, nor should the others." Her light grew even brighter, whiting out the entire area. As her light faded, golden snow fell over the area. "I must leave and return to my watchful place. Unlike the other Senshi, I am not of this world. I am an observer of time and space within the universe. However, my carelessness allowed this tragedy to befall all of you. So I shall leave you with this parting gift. Farewell."

As she left, Queen Clarity arrived, observing the group. She saw that Usagi's aura began to return, and smiling softly, she left and went back to the moon. Usagi began to stir only moments later, her eyes fluttering open. Still clad in her Princess gown, the silver crescent moon shining on her forehead, it was obvious that she would remain that way, heir Princess to the throne of the Moon Kingdom. With a soft groan, she put her hand to her head, trying to sit up. Someone was holding her down. Looking around, she saw everyone there, and then, she saw who was holding her down.

"Kazuma!" she gasped, reaching up and pulling him down for a kiss.

It wasn't much of a pull, as Kazuma was already on his way down to kiss her. He kissed her again and again.

The Senshi around her started to cry with joy and then looked back to where the others had fallen. Each one was now out of their Senshi form, their own seeds having left them.

Karin sat up, shaking her head. She felt her chest, and found that she no longer had an injury there- and that she was no longer in her Fuku outfit but a dress, green with blue trim. She looked around, seeing the others getting up, and then realized that a familiar tug pulled on her consciousness. Her head snapped around, landing on Kazuma.

Kazuma had already felt her return and he was grinning over at his sister, still holding onto Usagi though he'd let her sit herself up. "Karin!"

"Kazu!" Karin was up and across the room quickly, launching herself at her brother and hugging him tightly. "Don't you ever hide from me like that again!" she told him.

Kazuma released Usagi to hug his sister, whom he'd felt dead only moments ago. "And you don't die on me," he told her softly.

Of the other Senshi, Karin seemed the only one to maintain some level of her power. Partially because once she had died that power had simply joined its other half in Kazuma, and also because she was the Earth Princess.

Usagi turned, feeling a gentle tug on her mind, and saw that a small white crystal rose was sitting there. She wasn't the protector of the moon Star Seed any longer, but she still had a duty to protect the Silver Crystal, so she scooped it up, tucking it in her pocket. She felt like she was years older, many years wiser. Cuddling against Kazuma, she felt herself trembling. The entire experience had been terrifying, and she found herself wanting nothing more than to be with him in bed, cuddling and kissing. A small vortex formed, and through it, she could see Earth. Somehow she knew that she didn't belong there anymore, that her place was on the moon. She watched sadly as her friends all hugged her and said goodbye, going back through the vortex. She had to take her place back on the moon, but her heart tugged her strongly in the other direction.

"Usagi-chan, are you coming?" Mei asked her. Rin looked at Usagi too, noticing the sad set to her thin shoulders.

"I... I can't..." Usagi said quietly, her eyes brimming with tears. "I am needed on the moon..."

Kazuma was standing with her, holding her hand. He looked down at her, a slight frown on his face. But then he sighed. "It's nothing to be that sad about," he told her gently. He looked to the other girls. "We'll introduce you to our father- and he'll be able to teach you how go to the moon- that is where our court is as Celestial Guardians. Besides, our duty is to protect Princess Serenity. That didn't change," he told them, smiling down at Usagi.

Usagi smiled happily, clinging to Kazuma.

"You'll visit often, right?" she asked, and grinned when the others nodded. Soon, she and Kazuma were left alone. "You're spending the night with me," she said firmly. She smiled at his bewildered expression. "I just want you to hold me and love me tonight. So you can go back tomorrow if you really must." She blushed a little when she heard Karin giggle, but she stood firm, and to her delight, Kazuma agreed.

Four years passed, and Usagi was now nineteen, days away from her twentieth birthday; Kazuma was twenty. It was the day of their wedding. Usagi went by Serenity more often than not now, and Kazuma by Dymion. The Prince and Princess were rarely seen without each other whenever they walked in the rose gardens or did their royal duties. Today, it had even been hard to pry them apart to get them ready for the wedding, even under threats of bad luck. Serenity was beside herself with excitement as she slipped into her pure white gown, and her friends did her hair. The silver crescent moon on her forehead seemed to glow in the light. Mei and Rin were exclaiming over how beautiful she looked, lacing a crown of red roses into her flowing white-blue hair. She left it down for the ceremony, knowing how much Dymion loved it when she did. A white lace veil went on with the crown of roses, and it draped across her beautifully. Her maid of honor, Karin, came in just then, holding a garter. Serenity grinned, taking it from her and slipping it on her left leg. No one knew this except for Karin, but she had a special surprise for Dymion. She would wait until she was able to whisper to him to tell him though.

"Thank you girls," she said with a happy smile as she stood, the soft swish of satin sounding as her skirts floated about her. The wedding dress was fuller and more ornate than the gown she normally wore, but she loved it. Her mother came into the room, and Serenity smiled, going over to her and giving her a tight hug. Queen Clarity smiled, tears shimmering in her eyes as she looked on.

"I always imagined this day, my darling Serenity... I am so happy to see you fulfilling your dreams and becoming happy yourself," she said, kissing Serenity's forehead. Serenity smiled and kissed her mother on the cheek.

"Mother, I love you, but perhaps you should go take your seat," she said softly, hearing music start to chime. Clarity nodded and left, going to sit in her chair. Sailor Sun stood at the altar, officiating the wedding. She'd come to do it, after much pleading and begging from Serenity. Rin, Mei, Hana, and Yumiko were all bridesmaids, and they walked up to the altar on the arms of the Shitennou, the generals of Earth that Dymion had recruited a few years before. Karin, Serenity's maid of honor, walked up to the altar after, arm in arm with a young fellow who happened to be the youngest son of the royal family of Uranus. He was still about Karin's age, and he towered over her in height. Then, the bridal march began. Taking a deep breath, and holding her bouquet of white and blue roses, Serenity stepped out from behind the doors that had been shielding her from view, and onto the main path. Her father, King Sol, held her hand as he walked her up, his eyes suspiciously wet. Serenity, however, was solely focused on the man at the altar, her beloved Dymion. Dressed in a white, high collared shirt with silver designs across the chest, a white pair of pants with a white pair of knee-high boots, and a white cape with blue inside paneling, he looked amazing. A silver crown topped his always unruly reddish hair, and Serenity couldn't help but smile even wider. She was glowing, a beautiful bride on the happiest day of her life.

Dymion fidgeted slightly as he waited at the altar for the ceremony to start.

"Nervous Prince Dymion?" Sailor Sun asked, opening her eyes slightly to look at him, a small smile on her lips.

Dymion scoffed softly. "More anxious than nervous. I just want to get the ceremony over with," he muttered and then turned to face the back of the room when the music started.

His Father and Mother were seated beside Queen Clarity and the empty seat for King Sol. As the girls entered he couldn't help but send a mental message to his sister. 'You almost look like a dwarf next to him.'

'Shut up! He's super tall! I'm average in my height,' she answered, unable to stop the grin she gave her brother before taking her place. It was a knowing grin, as if she knew a secret.

And then he saw her, the most beautiful woman in the universe, walking towards him in a stunning gown. 'God I'm a lucky bastard,' he thought, smiling at her lovingly. He took her hand from her Father when they reached him and they both turned towards Sailor Sun.

Dymion really had no idea what Sailor Sun said during the ceremony. He vaguely remembered saying 'I do' but nearly all his attention was on Serenity as they stared into each other's eyes. When 'you may now kiss the bride' was finally said he grinned and flipped the veil back over her head and cupped her face, kissing her chastely since there was an audience, but still with all the love he felt for her in his heart.

Serenity kissed him back, finding it extremely hard to hold herself back when she wanted nothing more to kiss him with all the passion and desire that she felt at that moment. As the kiss finally broke, applause and cheers rang out, and Serenity blushed, kissing him again before they walked back down the aisle together, and out the door. The Earth was rising, causing a hushed gasp of awe from Serenity. No matter how many times she saw it, it still made her heart skip a beat to see it. Turning to Dymion, she smiled, holding his hand tightly.

The reception was in the ballroom. When Serenity had first come back to the moon, she'd been unable to even go near the ballroom, the horrors of her dreams having driven all the beauty of it away. Now, she was able to be there, but only if it was lit up dazzlingly bright. Casting a wary glance at the shadows, she smiled and then sat down with Dymion at one of the little tables that were scattered about the ballroom. She and he were alone at their table, so this was a perfect opportunity to tell him her surprise. She smiled, taking his hands in hers, leaning across the table and giving him a gentle loving kiss.

"Kazuma," she whispered. They only called each other by their other names in private moments. It was something special that they reserved for their most intimate moments. She was blushing slightly. The red roses in her hair seemed to sparkle with dew underneath the lamplight. "I have something special to give you for our wedding." Reaching out and brushing his aura with her own, she helped him focus on her alone. She dampened the feeling of the rest of the auras in the room, and let him just concentrate, feeling her aura, and the second tinier aura that was starting to grow within her. Smiling happily as she watched him, she squeezed his hands. "I made Karin promise not to tell," she said quietly, the pure joy of the moment radiating off of her.

Dymion returned her loving kiss and then tilted his head when she spoke to him. He frowned, trying to figure out what she was doing by manipulating the auras around them, and then he felt it- another aura radiating softly from her own. Horror flashed onto his face for a moment, memory of his own dream flashing through his mind's eye. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. 'It won't happen- we defeated Cosmos and Chaos- they were the ones that caused that image,' he told himself. After a few more breaths he opened his eyes and smiled at her. But soon the smile broke into an outright grin and he had trouble not whooping at the occasion. Instead he kissed her, his hand resting over her womb, absorbing the feeling of their unborn child. He was going to be a father. "Any idea when you're due?" he asked softly, leaning his forehead against hers, his hand not moving. It was an interesting sensation he was getting from feeling out the child's aura.

Serenity felt worry at the first emotion that crossed his face, but then realized it was him struggling against his own nightmares. Smiling as he rested his hand upon her stomach over her womb, she kissed him back, then took a deep breath.

"About nine months," she said. "It's only been a week or so since Karin pointed it out to me. She's better at sensing these things than you and I are..." Serenity admitted sheepishly.

He chuckled. "Yes that's true," he agreed and kissed her again. "And what shall we name her?" he asked softly, not expecting an answer so much as just relishing the idea that they were going to have a child together.

"I'm not entirely sure yet," Serenity admitted sheepishly. She smiled, enjoying the kisses. "I think we have plenty of time to figure it out." She kissed Dymion again, and everything seemed right with the world.


	17. Epilogue

It was happening. Queen Serenity never thought that it would have happened, but it was happening right then. Her dreams from all those years ago, they were actually coming true. She stared in horror at the ballroom, watching as people screamed in pain and terror, trying to get out. Dymion was by her side, trying to get her to away from the horrifying sight, to save her and their infant daughter.

"Dymion..." She trembled as she turned to him. "Kazuma, how has everything gone so very wrong?" she whispered. Dymion took her into his arms, holding her close. He didn't know, but he wasn't sure what to do to comfort her either. Their daughter was held protectively between them, and Serenity gave him a terrified look before handing their daughter to him. Her hand went to her chest, holding the pendant that held the Silver Crystal. In an instant, he knew what she was going to do.

"Serenity, no. You don't have that kind of power anymore. I won't allow it," he said firmly, and Serenity glared at him. It was startling. She hadn't glared at him like that since that one instance so long ago... Shaking his head, he reached out for her, taking her arm. "Usagi, please. At least let me help." Looking back at him, Serenity smiled, her hand falling to her side.

"Dymion..." she whispered. Reaching up to kiss him, neither noticed the blow that was coming for them. The instant that the explosion struck, the infant Moon Princess died, causing Serenity to cry out in anguish, holding a hand out to the broken infant's body, reeling from the shock of both the blast and her daughter's death. A second attack followed in the next second, and the Silver Crystal encased them. Dymion had pulled Serenity to him, trying to shield her from the blast, and they were encased in that position, Dymion holding Serenity protectively against him as she sobbed, helpless to do anything about their daughter's death. The Cosmic Guardians of their court lay unconscious and possibly dying around them. The locket that Serenity had given Dymion so many years ago lay shattered beside the crystal tomb that held them safe, alive and barely hurt. The woman who had instigated the attack walked up, laughing evilly to herself. Her dark hair writhed like snakes about her, and her tattered black dress whipped in the wind. The Moon Kingdom was being torn down again after so many years building it back up, so many years of peace.

Metallia sat beside the crystalline sculpture of the King and Queen, still laughing, but worn out from using all her powers to break free from her prison and getting to the moon. She soon lay down and fell asleep among the ruins. And this way she slept, for a century, while the bodies of the dead turned to stone, even the infant child that had fallen at the feet of her parents, dead before the Silver Crystal could protect her too. Metallia's sleeping form merely gathered dust, as if the moon knew she was something foreign, and did not want to take her back. The King and Queen seemed to watch over their dead people, almost as if keeping their memories safe from the evil witch that now lay sleeping in front of them, proud of her conquest of their kingdom. At the end of the century, Metallia woke, and she hissed in anger, feeling a familiar spark on the Earth below. A being had received the Star Seed of the moon, and this being, she knew, would kill her for sure. It would be best if she killed the Moon Heir first.


End file.
